Reviews with content warning for Ableism - The Degenerates

» Unfortunately, today we are still undoing the damage created by the idea that diversity should be punished rather than celebrated. «

What a well researched, important novel. The main characters were amazing. The book is less than 300 pages long and fast-paced but all of them got their own backstory and development. There was a romance full of yearning as a side plot, just how I like it.

The excellent writing and detailed situations make it easy to imagine what these girls are going through. I felt so many emotions while reading; from fury to hope to sadness.

This isn't a book about girls who beat the system and get their happy ever after. This is a realistic, heart-wrenching insight into the lives of the marginalized youth in the beginning of the 20th century. The only criticism I have for this book is that the conclusion came too soon.

I think this is one of the most important YA books out there. A while ago I've watched a documentary about an institution not unlike the setting of the book and I was very disturbed when I leant that the segregation and sterilization of "lesser humans" (disabled, POC, poor) in the US and Europe lasted until the 80s and even longer in some places. I think eugenics should be more talked about; we learn about the big genocides but places like the school in this book are overlooked. I was very thankful for the historical note and the author's note at the end.

Content Warnings

bybookandbone's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This book put me through the ringer. It's absolutely fantastic and made me tear up at several points.
Knowing that 215 children's bodies were found at a Canadian Indigenous residential school and 796 children were found buried in a septic tank at a Mother and Baby home in Tuam (Ireland)... not to mention asylums and the 'schools' in Australia, The Degenerates hit hard.

Set in a time where young girls can be incarcerated and labelled 'morons' or 'imbeciles' for the crime of being pregnant, in the way, LGBTQ+, having a clubfoot or numerous other ailments, The Degenerates follows four girls during their incarceration. Rose is my absolute favourite character in this. She's so sweet and happy despite how dark her life is. She's the first DS character I've read the POV of and I now realise that's a flaw in my reading. Her sister Maxine is wonderful too and I can't give much away as it's an important story beat but she literally has no 'illness'. Neither does London, who is beaten and arrested for being pregnant. Alice has a club foot but that's it.
Many of the women and girls at this institution have little or no ailments, though regardless, none deserve to be there and treated the way they are.
It's the story of people who society is trying to pretend don't exist.

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cheybrary's review

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challenging emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book is a sucker-punch to the gut in the best possible way.

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dominikag's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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