What do you think?
Rate this book
Counting Backwards
Inspired by true events revealing America's troubling past involving Pre-War eugenics practices, this emotionally riveting dual timeline novel brings together the lives of two inspiring women while exploring the timely and important themes of immigration, fertility, and motherhood. A revelatory tale of heartbreak and hope, it is an unputdownable story that will stay with readers long after the final page.
Jessa Gidney is a woman on the edge. Passed over for partner at her Manhattan law firm, she reevaluates her priorities, focusing on her deep desire to become a mother and her newfound interest in pro bono work. Her first case? An incarcerated woman named Isobel Perez fighting against a deportation order. An unsettling revelation about Isobel's health leads Jessa to uncover a horrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the detention facility. With her corporate law firm unsupportive and her husband, Vance, only concerned about the added stress while they're trying for a baby, Jessa is torn about whether to intervene. But when a shocking secret about her own family history comes to light, she is propelled to fight for these women, no matter the cost.
Nearly a century earlier in Virginia, seventeen-year-old, real-life Carrie Buck dreams of escaping her life as an unpaid laborer for her foster family. She yearns for a family of her own, a dream that seems within reach when she attracts the attention of her foster mother's handsome nephew. But he soon abandons her, and she's cast out, pregnant and completely alone. As a ward of the State, she is designated "feebleminded" and left to the mercy of a corrupt and heartless legal system. Her courageous fight for her own destiny leads to a landmark Supreme Court case.
As the novel alternates between these two women's stories, a startling connection is revealed. Tackling complex topics such as reproductive injustice, immigration law, eugenics, and societal expectations of women, the story is a compelling exploration of empowerment and self-determination. With a gripping investigation reminiscent of Erin Brockovich woven throughout, the tale is a testament to the courage it takes to stay true to oneself.
Jessa Gidney is a woman on the edge. Passed over for partner at her Manhattan law firm, she reevaluates her priorities, focusing on her deep desire to become a mother and her newfound interest in pro bono work. Her first case? An incarcerated woman named Isobel Perez fighting against a deportation order. An unsettling revelation about Isobel's health leads Jessa to uncover a horrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the detention facility. With her corporate law firm unsupportive and her husband, Vance, only concerned about the added stress while they're trying for a baby, Jessa is torn about whether to intervene. But when a shocking secret about her own family history comes to light, she is propelled to fight for these women, no matter the cost.
Nearly a century earlier in Virginia, seventeen-year-old, real-life Carrie Buck dreams of escaping her life as an unpaid laborer for her foster family. She yearns for a family of her own, a dream that seems within reach when she attracts the attention of her foster mother's handsome nephew. But he soon abandons her, and she's cast out, pregnant and completely alone. As a ward of the State, she is designated "feebleminded" and left to the mercy of a corrupt and heartless legal system. Her courageous fight for her own destiny leads to a landmark Supreme Court case.
As the novel alternates between these two women's stories, a startling connection is revealed. Tackling complex topics such as reproductive injustice, immigration law, eugenics, and societal expectations of women, the story is a compelling exploration of empowerment and self-determination. With a gripping investigation reminiscent of Erin Brockovich woven throughout, the tale is a testament to the courage it takes to stay true to oneself.
336 pages, Paperback
Published March 11, 2025
60 people are currently reading
11.5k people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Friedland
5books465followersJacqueline Friedland is the author of award-winning novels Trouble the Water and He Gets That From Me. A graduate of The University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School, she practiced as an attorney before returning to school to receive her MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. She lives in New York with her husband and four children. For contact info, tour dates, and book clubs please visit and Instagram @jackiefriedland
Her new novel, Counting Backwards, will be out on March 11, 2025.
Her new novel, Counting Backwards, will be out on March 11, 2025.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
March 16, 2025
All I can say is just wow! 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 is one of those books that sinks its nails into your heart and just does not let go. From the very beginning, I could not help but find myself very attached to the main two characters and their at times heartbreaking journeys.
I was drawn into how the story has woven together the eugenics of the past and how it has continued until this day in the United States. But the story itself is so much more than that, since it takes on the truth behind the injustice surrounding women’s reproductive rights along with the strength and resiliency that women have had throughout history.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
Dual POV
Reproductive Rights
Infertility
Immigration
Women’s Rights
A story that is so relevant in today’s world
I highly recommend this poignant story and it’s definitely going to be a favorite for this year!
I was drawn into how the story has woven together the eugenics of the past and how it has continued until this day in the United States. But the story itself is so much more than that, since it takes on the truth behind the injustice surrounding women’s reproductive rights along with the strength and resiliency that women have had throughout history.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁:
Dual POV
Reproductive Rights
Infertility
Immigration
Women’s Rights
A story that is so relevant in today’s world
I highly recommend this poignant story and it’s definitely going to be a favorite for this year!
March 23, 2025
A very interesting story based on the horrifying events surrounding eugenics in the USA and the Buck v Bell case. However I was so distracted by the parallel story of Jessa (a lawyer who discovers that forced sterilisation is continuing in ICE detention centres) that it took my attention away from Carrie Buck's story.
The two stories run alongside each other. Carrie's story is historical fact whereby she was deemed to be feeble-minded and, after being raped and her child removed, she is shipped off to an institution where she spends many years. During this time a forced sterilisation is performed following a court case which was a test case to allow other forced sterilisations of ethnic and "feeble-minded" women. This eugenics programme was adopted by the Nazis. It's a horrifying piece of history, which to my disgust continues to this day.
The other part of the story involves the fictional great granddaughter of Mr Bell. Jessa is fighting for the women in the ICE detention centre against the wishes of her husband.
I found almost all the characters in this part irritating. Jessa concealed things from her controlling husband then moaned about him not being supportive. At one point he storms out on her and a day later she's eyeing up a replacement. I found her character whiny, judgemental and overly emotional.
None of this was helped by the narrator of Jessa's part - Carolyn Jania - who has a tendency to over dramatise - much hitching of the breath and sounding panicked for no reason. I'm afraid it sets my teeth on edge and I confess to setting the speed on high just to get through it.
Generally a very interesting slice of past and more recent American history.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the audio advance review copy.
The two stories run alongside each other. Carrie's story is historical fact whereby she was deemed to be feeble-minded and, after being raped and her child removed, she is shipped off to an institution where she spends many years. During this time a forced sterilisation is performed following a court case which was a test case to allow other forced sterilisations of ethnic and "feeble-minded" women. This eugenics programme was adopted by the Nazis. It's a horrifying piece of history, which to my disgust continues to this day.
The other part of the story involves the fictional great granddaughter of Mr Bell. Jessa is fighting for the women in the ICE detention centre against the wishes of her husband.
I found almost all the characters in this part irritating. Jessa concealed things from her controlling husband then moaned about him not being supportive. At one point he storms out on her and a day later she's eyeing up a replacement. I found her character whiny, judgemental and overly emotional.
None of this was helped by the narrator of Jessa's part - Carolyn Jania - who has a tendency to over dramatise - much hitching of the breath and sounding panicked for no reason. I'm afraid it sets my teeth on edge and I confess to setting the speed on high just to get through it.
Generally a very interesting slice of past and more recent American history.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the audio advance review copy.
February 20, 2025
'...that high-spirited woman's body had been altered irrevocably, in a manner that would prevent her ever having another child'.
Jessa is a high-powered corporate lawyer who's become increasingly obsessed with getting pregnant - it's all a part of her life plan, together with making partner at her law firm. However, when she decides to take on a pro-bono legal case at an immigrant detention centre, the ability to have children takes on a whole new meaning.
Jessa's story alternates with Carrie Buck's story, a hundred years prior. It's the mid 1920s and after Carrie was taken from her mother and forced into a foster home. Sadly, this is just the beginning of her tough journey, when she's forced into a situation that ultimately sends her to court and puts her front and centre of a historic eugenics case, 'The girl before you is feeble-minded and must be sexually sterilized for both her own good and the good of society'.
'Counting Backwards' is a story is based on the real life eugenics atrocity of Carrie Buck in the 1920s. It is brought into glaring, contemporary relevance, with disturbing forced sterilisation cases in an immigrant detention centre. The horror of what has passed, and what has only more recently happened, is connected by a disturbing tether.
This is a confronting tale. One that not only delves into a past, murky history regarding women's rights but sadly the continued saga around women's reproductive choices. Telling this type of story was always going to be difficult to tell. To that end, I did find it hard to connect with the contemporary character, Jessa, at times. However, it is another story that needs to be told and the author's notes are a must read to really appreciate the complexity of this topic.
'You have to stop living your whole life based on the worst thing that's happened to you'.
Jessa is a high-powered corporate lawyer who's become increasingly obsessed with getting pregnant - it's all a part of her life plan, together with making partner at her law firm. However, when she decides to take on a pro-bono legal case at an immigrant detention centre, the ability to have children takes on a whole new meaning.
Jessa's story alternates with Carrie Buck's story, a hundred years prior. It's the mid 1920s and after Carrie was taken from her mother and forced into a foster home. Sadly, this is just the beginning of her tough journey, when she's forced into a situation that ultimately sends her to court and puts her front and centre of a historic eugenics case, 'The girl before you is feeble-minded and must be sexually sterilized for both her own good and the good of society'.
'Counting Backwards' is a story is based on the real life eugenics atrocity of Carrie Buck in the 1920s. It is brought into glaring, contemporary relevance, with disturbing forced sterilisation cases in an immigrant detention centre. The horror of what has passed, and what has only more recently happened, is connected by a disturbing tether.
This is a confronting tale. One that not only delves into a past, murky history regarding women's rights but sadly the continued saga around women's reproductive choices. Telling this type of story was always going to be difficult to tell. To that end, I did find it hard to connect with the contemporary character, Jessa, at times. However, it is another story that needs to be told and the author's notes are a must read to really appreciate the complexity of this topic.
'You have to stop living your whole life based on the worst thing that's happened to you'.
April 6, 2025
(4.75 stars)
Counting Backwards was an excellent and gripping dual timeline book. Which is saying a lot since I didn’t really like the main female character, Jessa, at least not at first. She is a young NYC lawyer (31?) who is desperate to become pregnant. Although she had already gotten pregnant once and, unfortunately, miscarried, she somehow thinks that she and her husband have fertility problems, after trying again to get pregnant for only some months. That put me off right away. But throughout the book, her character grows and changes and I began to like and admire her by the end. On the other hand, I liked her husband, Vance, more at the beginning of the book but by the end, I could not stand him!
Jessa and Vance’s story alternates with a story from the 1920s, featuring Carrie Buck, who was one of many young women who were sterilized against their will, during that era’s obsession with eugenics. I don’t want to give away much, but do not miss the author’s note at the end of the book, for more information on this historic case, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The two stories intersect in some interesting ways. After being passed over for partner, Jessa is asked to take on a “pro bono� case of a woman in an ICE detention center in New Jersey who feels she has been wrongly detained. Jessa goes to the center and becomes involved with investigating medical wrongdoing against many of the women incarcerated there.
This book highlights the current issues surrounding women’s reproductive health and health care choices, and how classism, racism, and even xenophobia contribute to this issue. The discussions about eugenics highlight how the N*zis grabbed onto this concept. Jessa isn’t Jewish but her husband is, and is the descendent of Holocaust survivors, and this aspect becomes another sore subject between the two of them.
The audiobook was beautifully narrated by two different women narrators, Amanda Stribling and Carolyn Jania.
Thank you to HarperMuse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
Counting Backwards was an excellent and gripping dual timeline book. Which is saying a lot since I didn’t really like the main female character, Jessa, at least not at first. She is a young NYC lawyer (31?) who is desperate to become pregnant. Although she had already gotten pregnant once and, unfortunately, miscarried, she somehow thinks that she and her husband have fertility problems, after trying again to get pregnant for only some months. That put me off right away. But throughout the book, her character grows and changes and I began to like and admire her by the end. On the other hand, I liked her husband, Vance, more at the beginning of the book but by the end, I could not stand him!
Jessa and Vance’s story alternates with a story from the 1920s, featuring Carrie Buck, who was one of many young women who were sterilized against their will, during that era’s obsession with eugenics. I don’t want to give away much, but do not miss the author’s note at the end of the book, for more information on this historic case, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The two stories intersect in some interesting ways. After being passed over for partner, Jessa is asked to take on a “pro bono� case of a woman in an ICE detention center in New Jersey who feels she has been wrongly detained. Jessa goes to the center and becomes involved with investigating medical wrongdoing against many of the women incarcerated there.
This book highlights the current issues surrounding women’s reproductive health and health care choices, and how classism, racism, and even xenophobia contribute to this issue. The discussions about eugenics highlight how the N*zis grabbed onto this concept. Jessa isn’t Jewish but her husband is, and is the descendent of Holocaust survivors, and this aspect becomes another sore subject between the two of them.
The audiobook was beautifully narrated by two different women narrators, Amanda Stribling and Carolyn Jania.
Thank you to HarperMuse and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book and for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
February 13, 2025
This is my second novel by this author and her novels are one to read. I always learn something new. The cover of a pomegranate and the title grabbed by attention and after reading the story I knew what exactly the over conveyed. The publisher nailed the cover.
This novel takes us on a journey in 1927 where we follow Carrie Buck who is denied medical rights and the injustices that are done to her and countless women.
The other timeline is in 2022, as Jessa is a lawyer taking on a medical malpractice case while struggling with her own fertility issues.
See how these timelines connect. These two women and their resilience and tenacity as they struggle to find out their own strength was remarkable.
A heart-wrenching novel on a tough subject.
This novel and their stories will stay with me a long time.
This novel takes us on a journey in 1927 where we follow Carrie Buck who is denied medical rights and the injustices that are done to her and countless women.
The other timeline is in 2022, as Jessa is a lawyer taking on a medical malpractice case while struggling with her own fertility issues.
See how these timelines connect. These two women and their resilience and tenacity as they struggle to find out their own strength was remarkable.
A heart-wrenching novel on a tough subject.
This novel and their stories will stay with me a long time.
March 18, 2025
4.5 stars. 📖🎧
March 9, 2025
STRAP IN
Mild spoilers hidden below but nothing crazy
Counting Backwards tells the story of two women living in America 100 years apart. In 2022, Jessa is a corporate lawyer who puts her hand up for a pro-bono case helping a incarcerated woman facing deportation. In 1927, Carrie's young life is turned upside down when she is stolen from her family and placed in foster care for unpaid labour. I am a huge fan dual timeline novels that keep you guessing how the two will intersect and this book is an excellent example of that, the plot from both perspectives was equally strong too which isn't always achieved.
I'm going to start with the positives because the bones of this novel are really solid (and honestly idk how long I'm gonna waffle on about all the things I hated).
As someone not from the US, I had no idea Carrie's story was based on a real woman and legal case (Buck v. Bell) which is explained in the author's note at the end. I personally felt this was adapted really respectfully and responsibly. The author also comes from a legal background so I love how this has inspired her new career and I have confidence she completed her due diligence when writing this book. The Carrie of Counting Backwards is incredibly fleshed out and the author brings so much life to her. Carrie experiences multiple hardships in her early years from being displaced from her family, suffering an assault resulting in pregnancy, before having her baby taken and being claimed as a ward of the state. I was incredibly moved by her plight and it's an incredible story for the author to bring into the spotlight.
Jessa (more on her momentarily) has endured her own loss, including both her parents and a recent miscarriage, and is licking her wounds after being overlooked for a promotion of her firm and struggling with the stress of trying to conceive again. Despite her husband's (dick) pleas to take a step back from work to avoid stress, Jessa's work with immigration detainees quickly reveals a sinister conspiracy of mass forced sterilisation of women in detention that she can't let go of. Jessa has moments (few and far between) where she demonstrates tenacity, dedication and empathy* and you're tempted to admire her. Jessa's husband is unsupportive of her work and aspirations and their relationship spirals throughout the book. I really liked the way their dynamic was explored and it is an authentic representation of emotional abuse.
*before quickly making everything about her
This book definitely provided an opportunity for classic white saviour-ism, and I personally didn't get that vibe, so kudos for that I guess???
Jessa, Jessa, Jessa....
literally a villain in sheep's clothing
possibly the most infuriating mc I've ever read
had me grinding my teeth at one point
Jessa is just an awful person, and as the narrator, frames the very important ethical issues at the centre of this novel in a awful light. First of all, we find out very early that Jessa and her husband are trying to conceive and they have so far been unsuccessful since her previous miscarriage. This strikes a cord with a lot people who have firsthand experience with infertility, myself included. The rage started to set in when it's revealed they've only been trying for a few months which is completely normal but Jessa carries on like she is several years deep and all hope is lost. Aside from one throwaway 'I know people have it worse!!!' all we get is CONSTANT 'sigh, I guess I'll never have a baby' and it is infuriating. Paired with this is a WEIRD fixation on biological children being the only real children which is just wild, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING JESSA WAS RAISED BY HER GRANDMOTHER when her parents died??? I know that's still a blood relation but Jessa is offended and disturbed by the suggestion that they could adopt in the future. You want weirder? Jessa's main motivator behind only becoming a mother through pregnancy and birth is basically to replace her dead parents. The whole TTC and fake turmoil was incredibly distasteful and I would imagine also hurtful to adoptees (which I am not). I understand the reason for this focus in Jessa's life was at least partially to relate back to Carrie's chapters and to invest her character more into the issues facing her clients (because she couldn't possibly care otherwise???) and I hated every second. Her struggles would've actually been really relatable if she had not been TTC for five business days.
When Jessa realises detained women are being illegally and unethically given hysterectomies in an act of eugenics, she pours every fibre of her being into supporting the effected women and doing everything she can to encourage them to come forward anonymously for a class action. OBVIOUSLY, goodie! You should definitely care about crimes against humanity! You know what you shouldn't do? Care about crimes against humanity, not because of the violence and harm that is being done to innocent people, but because, GASP, those women now can't have children! Won't you think of the non-existent children who have been so adversely effected (Jessa would probs argue more so than the actual people) and how the value of these womens' experiences are WHOLLY tied to their ability for child bearing. It is NOT ONCE expressed that regardless whether or not the violated women wanted children/more children, their harm and experience is just a valid as their counterparts. I literally can't tell you how disgusted I was every time Jessa thought or spoke about the hysterectomies as tragedies BECAUSE THOSE WOMEN COULD NOT GET PREGNANT. I wish I was exaggerating but it was just a truly disgusting angle. The act of violence women endure in this book is not treated as an act of violence, but simply a loss of child bearing ability. Again, I see that Jessa's perspective was impacted by her own "infertility" struggles (please) but there were multiple times when I thought 'is this pro-life propaganda?'*
THANKS DON'T DO IT AGAIN
*the author's note definitely makes it clear that she supports women being in control of their bodies and reproduction, but the main character whole-heartedly values women as potential mothers above all else and that's problematic at best.
My other huge issue with the way Jessa was written is just down carelessness imo. This is a highly educated and life-experienced woman, yet she is also INCREDIBLY naive. Starting with her being snubbed at work, she simply cannot believe that this is due to being a woman in a male-dominated field, it doesn't even cross her mind. I think this alone could be interpreted as commentary on societal gaslighting and how women are conditioned to to find fault in their actions when things don't go as they expected, and I'm all here for that, but the fact that this is the tip of the naivety iceberg tells me that was not the intention. This trend continues when Jessa when she spends PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES singing to the tune of 'what??? the government are treating immigrants inhumanely??? women of colour are being targeted??? this can't be!!! there's simply no way' IN 2022!!!!! Just kill me. This is where this book passed the point of no return for me. This isn't even a matter of privilege being demonstrated, this is a stupid person. The icing on the cake is later Jessa tells her husband about what she's discovered and working on, and he has the exact same reaction she did (albeit more misogynistic and gaslight-y) and she gets SO MAD that he doesn't believe it.
If you're thinking 'this is pretty rough for a 2 star rating, and I agree! Maybe this should be 1 star but I genuinely admire the way Carrie Buck's story has been used (but not exploited) in tandem with contemporary human rights issues, and how US law allows them to take place. I was gifted an ARC and an ALC so I alternated between reading and listening and the narration/casting is excellent.
Okay from here is major spoilers so probs don't continue if you plan to read
Mild spoilers hidden below but nothing crazy
Counting Backwards tells the story of two women living in America 100 years apart. In 2022, Jessa is a corporate lawyer who puts her hand up for a pro-bono case helping a incarcerated woman facing deportation. In 1927, Carrie's young life is turned upside down when she is stolen from her family and placed in foster care for unpaid labour. I am a huge fan dual timeline novels that keep you guessing how the two will intersect and this book is an excellent example of that, the plot from both perspectives was equally strong too which isn't always achieved.
I'm going to start with the positives because the bones of this novel are really solid (and honestly idk how long I'm gonna waffle on about all the things I hated).
As someone not from the US, I had no idea Carrie's story was based on a real woman and legal case (Buck v. Bell) which is explained in the author's note at the end. I personally felt this was adapted really respectfully and responsibly. The author also comes from a legal background so I love how this has inspired her new career and I have confidence she completed her due diligence when writing this book. The Carrie of Counting Backwards is incredibly fleshed out and the author brings so much life to her. Carrie experiences multiple hardships in her early years from being displaced from her family, suffering an assault resulting in pregnancy, before having her baby taken and being claimed as a ward of the state. I was incredibly moved by her plight and it's an incredible story for the author to bring into the spotlight.
Jessa (more on her momentarily) has endured her own loss, including both her parents and a recent miscarriage, and is licking her wounds after being overlooked for a promotion of her firm and struggling with the stress of trying to conceive again. Despite her husband's (dick) pleas to take a step back from work to avoid stress, Jessa's work with immigration detainees quickly reveals a sinister conspiracy of mass forced sterilisation of women in detention that she can't let go of. Jessa has moments (few and far between) where she demonstrates tenacity, dedication and empathy* and you're tempted to admire her. Jessa's husband is unsupportive of her work and aspirations and their relationship spirals throughout the book. I really liked the way their dynamic was explored and it is an authentic representation of emotional abuse.
*before quickly making everything about her
This book definitely provided an opportunity for classic white saviour-ism, and I personally didn't get that vibe, so kudos for that I guess???
Jessa, Jessa, Jessa....
literally a villain in sheep's clothing
possibly the most infuriating mc I've ever read
had me grinding my teeth at one point
Jessa is just an awful person, and as the narrator, frames the very important ethical issues at the centre of this novel in a awful light. First of all, we find out very early that Jessa and her husband are trying to conceive and they have so far been unsuccessful since her previous miscarriage. This strikes a cord with a lot people who have firsthand experience with infertility, myself included. The rage started to set in when it's revealed they've only been trying for a few months which is completely normal but Jessa carries on like she is several years deep and all hope is lost. Aside from one throwaway 'I know people have it worse!!!' all we get is CONSTANT 'sigh, I guess I'll never have a baby' and it is infuriating. Paired with this is a WEIRD fixation on biological children being the only real children which is just wild, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING JESSA WAS RAISED BY HER GRANDMOTHER when her parents died??? I know that's still a blood relation but Jessa is offended and disturbed by the suggestion that they could adopt in the future. You want weirder? Jessa's main motivator behind only becoming a mother through pregnancy and birth is basically to replace her dead parents. The whole TTC and fake turmoil was incredibly distasteful and I would imagine also hurtful to adoptees (which I am not). I understand the reason for this focus in Jessa's life was at least partially to relate back to Carrie's chapters and to invest her character more into the issues facing her clients (because she couldn't possibly care otherwise???) and I hated every second. Her struggles would've actually been really relatable if she had not been TTC for five business days.
When Jessa realises detained women are being illegally and unethically given hysterectomies in an act of eugenics, she pours every fibre of her being into supporting the effected women and doing everything she can to encourage them to come forward anonymously for a class action. OBVIOUSLY, goodie! You should definitely care about crimes against humanity! You know what you shouldn't do? Care about crimes against humanity, not because of the violence and harm that is being done to innocent people, but because, GASP, those women now can't have children! Won't you think of the non-existent children who have been so adversely effected (Jessa would probs argue more so than the actual people) and how the value of these womens' experiences are WHOLLY tied to their ability for child bearing. It is NOT ONCE expressed that regardless whether or not the violated women wanted children/more children, their harm and experience is just a valid as their counterparts. I literally can't tell you how disgusted I was every time Jessa thought or spoke about the hysterectomies as tragedies BECAUSE THOSE WOMEN COULD NOT GET PREGNANT. I wish I was exaggerating but it was just a truly disgusting angle. The act of violence women endure in this book is not treated as an act of violence, but simply a loss of child bearing ability. Again, I see that Jessa's perspective was impacted by her own "infertility" struggles (please) but there were multiple times when I thought 'is this pro-life propaganda?'*
THANKS DON'T DO IT AGAIN
*the author's note definitely makes it clear that she supports women being in control of their bodies and reproduction, but the main character whole-heartedly values women as potential mothers above all else and that's problematic at best.
My other huge issue with the way Jessa was written is just down carelessness imo. This is a highly educated and life-experienced woman, yet she is also INCREDIBLY naive. Starting with her being snubbed at work, she simply cannot believe that this is due to being a woman in a male-dominated field, it doesn't even cross her mind. I think this alone could be interpreted as commentary on societal gaslighting and how women are conditioned to to find fault in their actions when things don't go as they expected, and I'm all here for that, but the fact that this is the tip of the naivety iceberg tells me that was not the intention. This trend continues when Jessa when she spends PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES singing to the tune of 'what??? the government are treating immigrants inhumanely??? women of colour are being targeted??? this can't be!!! there's simply no way' IN 2022!!!!! Just kill me. This is where this book passed the point of no return for me. This isn't even a matter of privilege being demonstrated, this is a stupid person. The icing on the cake is later Jessa tells her husband about what she's discovered and working on, and he has the exact same reaction she did (albeit more misogynistic and gaslight-y) and she gets SO MAD that he doesn't believe it.
If you're thinking 'this is pretty rough for a 2 star rating, and I agree! Maybe this should be 1 star but I genuinely admire the way Carrie Buck's story has been used (but not exploited) in tandem with contemporary human rights issues, and how US law allows them to take place. I was gifted an ARC and an ALC so I alternated between reading and listening and the narration/casting is excellent.
Okay from here is major spoilers so probs don't continue if you plan to read
April 1, 2025
4.25. Jessa is an attorney who is trying to prove herself within her firm and make partner. She stumbles upon some information regarding an immigration case that leads her to discovering multiple women have been sterilized without informed consent while in custody. She’s struggling with her own issues, she still feels drawn to these cases. There are multiple stories developing throughout this book as well as a dual timeline.
This book tore my heart out and made me want to punch a pillow. Jessa’s struggles were so relatable and I was rooting so hard for her and the justice she was trying to find for these women. I flew through this and it will stay with me for a long time!
Thank you so much to GetRed PR and Jacqueline Friedman for providing this physical ARC. This is my honest review! This published on March 11th.
This book tore my heart out and made me want to punch a pillow. Jessa’s struggles were so relatable and I was rooting so hard for her and the justice she was trying to find for these women. I flew through this and it will stay with me for a long time!
Thank you so much to GetRed PR and Jacqueline Friedman for providing this physical ARC. This is my honest review! This published on March 11th.
March 11, 2025
The pomegranate featured on the cover has many symbolic meanings in modern and ancient culture, one of the most prominent of those being fertility. Jessa, our main character, is a 31-year-old woman living with the emotional repercussions of her and her partner’s inability to conceive despite her desperate, almost obsessive, desire for a child. Scrambling to prove herself at the firm she works at and to make her now-deceased parents proud, she takes on a pro-bono case defending a woman being held at an ICE detention facility. In her work, she comes across a Supreme Court case from the 1920s regarding a young girl named Carrie Buck that makes her see the current case in a new and disturbing light. The symbolism of the pomegranate comes to fruition in more ways than one in this novel with alternative timelines.
If you think the name Carrie Buck rings a bell, you’re right, and having that information sets the theme expectations for this novel. Harping back to the real-life Supreme Court case of Buck vs. Bell, Friedland uses this novel as a way to explore eugenics and compulsory sterilization of women. If you aren’t already familiar with Buck’s story, I would suggest avoiding wiki before reading this book for full enjoyment of it.
Jostling back and forth between the present day timeline to the 1920s, Counting Backwards follows two women’s stories that come crashing together in a startling way, narrowing its eyes on the expectations of women in today’s society as well as the injustices of the criminal justice system, immigration, and reproductive rights.
My complaints with this novel are few but important to consider when you want a story to really soar: some of the dialogue felt forced and I often wished for Jessa and Carrie to be more compelling characters. I never felt particularly moved by their characters, even with all of the emotional turmoil that they were going through. I also think that the story could have benefitted from going more in to the background of the Virginia State Colony—its origins, day-to-day life of the inmates, etc—where Carrie was held. Still, this is a unique novel that provides a look at not only an important piece in our history but at modern-day malpractice.
Thank you Harper Muse for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Mar. 11 2025
If you think the name Carrie Buck rings a bell, you’re right, and having that information sets the theme expectations for this novel. Harping back to the real-life Supreme Court case of Buck vs. Bell, Friedland uses this novel as a way to explore eugenics and compulsory sterilization of women. If you aren’t already familiar with Buck’s story, I would suggest avoiding wiki before reading this book for full enjoyment of it.
Jostling back and forth between the present day timeline to the 1920s, Counting Backwards follows two women’s stories that come crashing together in a startling way, narrowing its eyes on the expectations of women in today’s society as well as the injustices of the criminal justice system, immigration, and reproductive rights.
My complaints with this novel are few but important to consider when you want a story to really soar: some of the dialogue felt forced and I often wished for Jessa and Carrie to be more compelling characters. I never felt particularly moved by their characters, even with all of the emotional turmoil that they were going through. I also think that the story could have benefitted from going more in to the background of the Virginia State Colony—its origins, day-to-day life of the inmates, etc—where Carrie was held. Still, this is a unique novel that provides a look at not only an important piece in our history but at modern-day malpractice.
Thank you Harper Muse for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Mar. 11 2025
October 19, 2024
Every time I read a Jackie Friedland book, I'm amazed at her brilliance, the thought-provoking prose, and her ability to seamlessly genre jump. I'm also convinced she's an old, old soul who captures the essence of her characters through that experience.
Counting Backwards sheds light on female autonomy and rights, a subject that continues to be at the forefront of today's news cycle.
Told in dual timelines from two brave characters, the novel follows lawyer Jessa (2022) as she takes on a pro bono case that leads her down a path of medical malpractice, all while struggling to conceive, and Carrie Buck (1927) a woman who has been denied medical rights and whom Jessa has a surprising connection to. Eugenics is at the very heart of the story, and book clubs will have much to discuss as these characters' lives intertwine.
Friedland navigates the timeline with ease, packing in a substantial amount of research. Her understanding of the law and the challenges these characters face makes for a real page-turner. Readers will enjoy the Authors Note and how Friedland completed a paper on this subject in high school and the atrocities remained with her all these years.
I already miss these characters, but their strength and resiliency will stay with me. And while heartbreaking to read what these women endured, it is their courage that made for a an utterly satisfying read.
Counting Backwards sheds light on female autonomy and rights, a subject that continues to be at the forefront of today's news cycle.
Told in dual timelines from two brave characters, the novel follows lawyer Jessa (2022) as she takes on a pro bono case that leads her down a path of medical malpractice, all while struggling to conceive, and Carrie Buck (1927) a woman who has been denied medical rights and whom Jessa has a surprising connection to. Eugenics is at the very heart of the story, and book clubs will have much to discuss as these characters' lives intertwine.
Friedland navigates the timeline with ease, packing in a substantial amount of research. Her understanding of the law and the challenges these characters face makes for a real page-turner. Readers will enjoy the Authors Note and how Friedland completed a paper on this subject in high school and the atrocities remained with her all these years.
I already miss these characters, but their strength and resiliency will stay with me. And while heartbreaking to read what these women endured, it is their courage that made for a an utterly satisfying read.
November 13, 2024
I received this book for free and I write this comment voluntarily. Let me brag about myself a little. I do choose the best ARCs. I am generally reluctant to give five stars to contemporary novels (because if Dostoyevsky is your five star how could give you five stars to anything) but this time I am giving out a full five stars. This novel is very timely, I wish it is published right now, given that it explores areas of woman rights, immigration laws and family relationships. We have two stories in the novel, one is Jesse's and the other is Carrie Buck's. Taking the real life story Carrie Buck and integrating it into a novel with a legal and fictional perspective is just great. The author is a law graduate which makes novel even more interesting. If you have never heard of Carrie Buck, do not research until you finish the novel so that you would be more surprised. I thank the author, NetGalley and the publisher for this free novel.
March 10, 2025
4,5/5 �
🇬🇧 Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks and NetGalley for the early copy.
Counting Backwards will be available on March 11th 2025.
I finished the audiobook a few days ago and the story still lingers.
Counting Backwards is written in a dual POV and dual timeline. The historical part of this book is based on true events regarding the case of Carrie Buck (if you are not familiar with Buck vs. Bell do not google the case before reading if you don’t want to spoil your reading experience). Present timeline focuses on Jessa - a lawyer with relationship issues who focuses on conceiving a child, which grows into an obsession.
The book talks about really heavy topics of women rights, immigration, deportation, reproductive rights, eugenics, forced sterilisation, and motherhood. The story in the book is really captivating and well paced, in the first half of the book the chapters alternate in between Carrie and Jessa, always ending up on a tiny cliffhanger, making the book hard to put down. The way the author (a law graduate) talks about these topics shows she really did her homework and made the story not only believable, but a learning moment for the reader.
One aspect of the plot I especially liked (other than the very well executed topics mentioned above) was Jessa’s relationship. In all of its raw beauty, it brought some much needed depth to her character and allowed the reader to see her in a different light, allowed us to see her other form of vulnerability as a woman, as a partner, as a trusting wife. By that she was made human, rather than just a character. I very much loved her choices in the last chapters.
Personally, I am a sucker for the mention of the title in the book itself. Saying that - this title was incorporated into the story with two meanings and both were moving in their own way. 10/10 on this front.
Though I will probably end up purchasing the book as a physical copy if it does arrive to our stores in Slovakia, I highly recommend the audiobook version.
🇸🇰 Ďakujem Harper Muse Audiobooks a NetGalley za predčasnú kópiu knihy.
“Counting Backwards� vychádza 11. marca 2025.
Audioknihu som dopočúvala už pár dní dozadu, no príbeh vo mne stále rezonuje.
“Counting Backwards� je kniha písaná z dvoch uhlov pohľadu v dvoch rôznych časových líniách. Historická časť knihy je o prípade Carrie Buck (ak o tomto prípade neviete, neodporúčam googliť si jeho jednotlivé náležitosti v rámci “Buck vs. Bell�, aby ste si nezničili zážitok z príbehu). Súčasná dejová linka je zameraná na Jessu - právničku, ktorá má určité problémy vo vzťahu a koncentruje sa na počatie dieťaťa, ktoré postupne prerastá v obsesiu.
Kniha pojednáva o naozaj ťažkých témach ženských práv, imigrácie, deportácie, reprodukčných práv, eugenike, nútenej sterilizácie a materstva. Príbeh je veľmi pútavý a má výborné tempo. V prvej polovici knihy sa striedajú kapitoly z pohľadu Jessy a Carrie, pričom vždy končia akoby malým cliffhangerom, čo vás núti v knihe pokračovať. Spôsob akým autorka (vyštudovaná právnička) o jednotlivých témach hovorí dokazuje, že si naozaj splnila svoje domáce úlohy a dokázala vytvoriť nielen uveriteľný, no i poučný príbeh.
Jeden z aspektov deja, ktorý sa mi veľmi páčil (okrem veľmi dobre zvládnutých tém spomenutých vyššie), bol Jessin vzťah. Vo všetkej svojej surovej kráse vniesol do jej postavy tak potrebnú hĺbku a dovolil čitateľom vidieť ju v novom svetle. Dal nám možnosť vidieť jej ďalšiu zraniteľnosť ako ženy, partnerky, dôverujúcej manželky. Vďaka tomu pôsobila ako človek, nielen ako postava. Jej voľby v posledních kapitolách sa mi veľmi páčili.
Osobne absolútne milujem, keď je titul knihy spomenutý v samotnom obsahu. V tejto knihe bol titul zapracovaný dvojako a oba významy boli každý svojím vlastným spôsobom dojemné. Z tohto ohľadu 10/10.
Aj keď si pravedopodobne knihu kúpim aj vo fyzickej podobe, ak sa k nám na Slovensko dostane, audio verziu hravo odporúčam.
🇬🇧 Thank you to Harper Muse Audiobooks and NetGalley for the early copy.
Counting Backwards will be available on March 11th 2025.
I finished the audiobook a few days ago and the story still lingers.
Counting Backwards is written in a dual POV and dual timeline. The historical part of this book is based on true events regarding the case of Carrie Buck (if you are not familiar with Buck vs. Bell do not google the case before reading if you don’t want to spoil your reading experience). Present timeline focuses on Jessa - a lawyer with relationship issues who focuses on conceiving a child, which grows into an obsession.
The book talks about really heavy topics of women rights, immigration, deportation, reproductive rights, eugenics, forced sterilisation, and motherhood. The story in the book is really captivating and well paced, in the first half of the book the chapters alternate in between Carrie and Jessa, always ending up on a tiny cliffhanger, making the book hard to put down. The way the author (a law graduate) talks about these topics shows she really did her homework and made the story not only believable, but a learning moment for the reader.
One aspect of the plot I especially liked (other than the very well executed topics mentioned above) was Jessa’s relationship. In all of its raw beauty, it brought some much needed depth to her character and allowed the reader to see her in a different light, allowed us to see her other form of vulnerability as a woman, as a partner, as a trusting wife. By that she was made human, rather than just a character. I very much loved her choices in the last chapters.
Personally, I am a sucker for the mention of the title in the book itself. Saying that - this title was incorporated into the story with two meanings and both were moving in their own way. 10/10 on this front.
Though I will probably end up purchasing the book as a physical copy if it does arrive to our stores in Slovakia, I highly recommend the audiobook version.
🇸🇰 Ďakujem Harper Muse Audiobooks a NetGalley za predčasnú kópiu knihy.
“Counting Backwards� vychádza 11. marca 2025.
Audioknihu som dopočúvala už pár dní dozadu, no príbeh vo mne stále rezonuje.
“Counting Backwards� je kniha písaná z dvoch uhlov pohľadu v dvoch rôznych časových líniách. Historická časť knihy je o prípade Carrie Buck (ak o tomto prípade neviete, neodporúčam googliť si jeho jednotlivé náležitosti v rámci “Buck vs. Bell�, aby ste si nezničili zážitok z príbehu). Súčasná dejová linka je zameraná na Jessu - právničku, ktorá má určité problémy vo vzťahu a koncentruje sa na počatie dieťaťa, ktoré postupne prerastá v obsesiu.
Kniha pojednáva o naozaj ťažkých témach ženských práv, imigrácie, deportácie, reprodukčných práv, eugenike, nútenej sterilizácie a materstva. Príbeh je veľmi pútavý a má výborné tempo. V prvej polovici knihy sa striedajú kapitoly z pohľadu Jessy a Carrie, pričom vždy končia akoby malým cliffhangerom, čo vás núti v knihe pokračovať. Spôsob akým autorka (vyštudovaná právnička) o jednotlivých témach hovorí dokazuje, že si naozaj splnila svoje domáce úlohy a dokázala vytvoriť nielen uveriteľný, no i poučný príbeh.
Jeden z aspektov deja, ktorý sa mi veľmi páčil (okrem veľmi dobre zvládnutých tém spomenutých vyššie), bol Jessin vzťah. Vo všetkej svojej surovej kráse vniesol do jej postavy tak potrebnú hĺbku a dovolil čitateľom vidieť ju v novom svetle. Dal nám možnosť vidieť jej ďalšiu zraniteľnosť ako ženy, partnerky, dôverujúcej manželky. Vďaka tomu pôsobila ako človek, nielen ako postava. Jej voľby v posledních kapitolách sa mi veľmi páčili.
Osobne absolútne milujem, keď je titul knihy spomenutý v samotnom obsahu. V tejto knihe bol titul zapracovaný dvojako a oba významy boli každý svojím vlastným spôsobom dojemné. Z tohto ohľadu 10/10.
Aj keď si pravedopodobne knihu kúpim aj vo fyzickej podobe, ak sa k nám na Slovensko dostane, audio verziu hravo odporúčam.
March 25, 2025
TITLE: Counting Backward
AUTHOR: Jacqueline Friedland
PUB DATE: 03.11.2025
A routine immigration case, a shocking legacy.
Jessa Gidney's quest for justice draws her into the heart of an abhorrent conspiracy. As she uncovers her personal ties to a heartbreaking past, her life takes a dramatic turn, in this emotionally riveting novel inspired by true events.
THOUGHTS:
I love Jacqueline Friedland's books no matter the genre - and this one was great about a lawyer, a pro bono case, and medical malpractice. It's a great story that was both heartbreaking and redemptive - I love rooting for these characters and what they had to endure.
I cannot recommend this one enough!
AUTHOR: Jacqueline Friedland
PUB DATE: 03.11.2025
A routine immigration case, a shocking legacy.
Jessa Gidney's quest for justice draws her into the heart of an abhorrent conspiracy. As she uncovers her personal ties to a heartbreaking past, her life takes a dramatic turn, in this emotionally riveting novel inspired by true events.
THOUGHTS:
I love Jacqueline Friedland's books no matter the genre - and this one was great about a lawyer, a pro bono case, and medical malpractice. It's a great story that was both heartbreaking and redemptive - I love rooting for these characters and what they had to endure.
I cannot recommend this one enough!
March 15, 2025
COUNTING BACKWARDS is the first book that I’ve read by Jacqueline Friedland, and my gosh, was I ever impressed. I need to seek out her backlist ASAP. It was so well-written and researched, timely, eye-opening, and powerful. The blending of historical and current events was absolutely masterful. It’s based on the Buck v. Bell eugenics case from 1927 and a similar situation at a women’s detention center in Georgia from 2020. This novel broke my heart and made me want to scream in rage. It’s SO relevant to what is going on in the US today, so it quickly made my blood boil. I am so sick and tired of rich white men thinking that they can control women and their bodies. Grrrr! This particular quote from the novel really hit home:
“𝙒� 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝘼𝙬𝙛𝙪𝙡, 𝙖𝙬𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨.�
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- Politically-charged novels
- Women’s/reproductive rights
- Feminist undertones
- Immigration cases
- Legal dramas
- Historical fiction
- Dual POVs
- Alternating timelines
- Strong female characters
- Family drama and secrets
- Marriage issues
Two other books that I’ve read about the eugenics movement are TAKE MY HAND by Dolen Perkins-Valdez and NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain. I highly recommend both of them as well.
5/5 stars for COUNTING BACKWARDS! It’s out now!
“𝙒� 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝘼𝙬𝙛𝙪𝙡, 𝙖𝙬𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨.�
READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY:
- Politically-charged novels
- Women’s/reproductive rights
- Feminist undertones
- Immigration cases
- Legal dramas
- Historical fiction
- Dual POVs
- Alternating timelines
- Strong female characters
- Family drama and secrets
- Marriage issues
Two other books that I’ve read about the eugenics movement are TAKE MY HAND by Dolen Perkins-Valdez and NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain. I highly recommend both of them as well.
5/5 stars for COUNTING BACKWARDS! It’s out now!
March 7, 2025
Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland. Thanks to @getredpr for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jessa Gidney is a high powered lawyer working on a pro bono immigration case when she stumbled upon a pattern of medical malpractice within an ICE detention center. This investigation leads her to uncover her own family history involved with Carrie Buck, the first woman involuntarily sterilized under Virginia’s eugenic laws.
I could not put this one down. It is a horrifying tale that’s made even worse by knowing the past timeline is based on a true story in American history. America has had a shameful past with eugenics, but not many are aware. Did you know involuntary sterilization was legal into the 1970’s in the state of Virginia?! This book sheds like on that and also how medical abuse and racism based on eugenic theories are still occurring. I enjoyed the present timeline, which is an Erin Brokovich type story, but absolutely hated the main character’s husband. Highly recommend this one!
“I had been robbed in all the ways that mattered to me. I had but one thing left, and that was my own heart.�
Counting Backwards comes out 3/11.
Jessa Gidney is a high powered lawyer working on a pro bono immigration case when she stumbled upon a pattern of medical malpractice within an ICE detention center. This investigation leads her to uncover her own family history involved with Carrie Buck, the first woman involuntarily sterilized under Virginia’s eugenic laws.
I could not put this one down. It is a horrifying tale that’s made even worse by knowing the past timeline is based on a true story in American history. America has had a shameful past with eugenics, but not many are aware. Did you know involuntary sterilization was legal into the 1970’s in the state of Virginia?! This book sheds like on that and also how medical abuse and racism based on eugenic theories are still occurring. I enjoyed the present timeline, which is an Erin Brokovich type story, but absolutely hated the main character’s husband. Highly recommend this one!
“I had been robbed in all the ways that mattered to me. I had but one thing left, and that was my own heart.�
Counting Backwards comes out 3/11.
March 14, 2025
“Even with the disappointment of passing time, at least I still had a chance.�
Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland was a book I picked up for the pretty cover. I went in knowing nothing of the story, and now will be pushing everyone to read 👏🏻 this 👏🏻 book 👏🏻
A routine immigration case, a shocking legacy. Jessa Gidney's quest for justice draws her into the heart of an abhorrent conspiracy. As she uncovers her personal ties to a heartbreaking past, her life takes a dramatic turn, in this emotionally riveting novel inspired by true events.
This novel is based on the 1927 case of Buck v. Bell, where the ruling in favor of eugenics still stands today. Friedland’s impeccable research and passion for bodily autonomy, and against the continued exploitation of reproductive rights, comes through on every page. Counting Backwards, though fictionalized, peels back the mask and exposes inequities and generational harm done to women in the US, specifically those who have been incarcerated and are most vulnerable.
Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland was a book I picked up for the pretty cover. I went in knowing nothing of the story, and now will be pushing everyone to read 👏🏻 this 👏🏻 book 👏🏻
A routine immigration case, a shocking legacy. Jessa Gidney's quest for justice draws her into the heart of an abhorrent conspiracy. As she uncovers her personal ties to a heartbreaking past, her life takes a dramatic turn, in this emotionally riveting novel inspired by true events.
This novel is based on the 1927 case of Buck v. Bell, where the ruling in favor of eugenics still stands today. Friedland’s impeccable research and passion for bodily autonomy, and against the continued exploitation of reproductive rights, comes through on every page. Counting Backwards, though fictionalized, peels back the mask and exposes inequities and generational harm done to women in the US, specifically those who have been incarcerated and are most vulnerable.
March 9, 2025
3.5 stars
The book is built on history of involuntary sterilization of women in the US. In some states it was as recent as the 70s and it only raises questions if it may even be done today in facilities that house migrant women. This troubling history comes into forefront as a lawyer, Jessa, takes up a pro-bono case to help out a woman in ICE detention center. During the course of working the case she encounters her family history of dealing with Carrie Buck, a woman who was involuntarily sterilized in the 30s.
The narrative spins around eugenics, and its impact in medical field when it comes to research and even treatment, women vs. men and the underlying aggression marginalized women face while accessing care. In times where reproductive rights are back in forefront of mainstream conversation, the novel's messaging and its motif wraps it all with a poignant story.
While the plot and the narration are excellent, the characters don't carry the impact as I would have liked them to. It is also perhaps why my personal takeaway from the novel was more in terms of history than an emotional impact due to the present. Its a shame given how great the narration is.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is built on history of involuntary sterilization of women in the US. In some states it was as recent as the 70s and it only raises questions if it may even be done today in facilities that house migrant women. This troubling history comes into forefront as a lawyer, Jessa, takes up a pro-bono case to help out a woman in ICE detention center. During the course of working the case she encounters her family history of dealing with Carrie Buck, a woman who was involuntarily sterilized in the 30s.
The narrative spins around eugenics, and its impact in medical field when it comes to research and even treatment, women vs. men and the underlying aggression marginalized women face while accessing care. In times where reproductive rights are back in forefront of mainstream conversation, the novel's messaging and its motif wraps it all with a poignant story.
While the plot and the narration are excellent, the characters don't carry the impact as I would have liked them to. It is also perhaps why my personal takeaway from the novel was more in terms of history than an emotional impact due to the present. Its a shame given how great the narration is.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.
April 28, 2025
Harrowing, sad, and relevant. History doesn’t repeat itself but it sure does rhyme. This was an important read for 2025.
April 23, 2025
This is a powerful, dual timeline story about extraordinary women. Backgrounds and current situations shaped and influenced the complicated realities of each life. Some were stripped of their independence, while others learned that each choice came with a set of consequences.
I learned that abandonment and boredom can really change a person, especially when choices are removed and hope is dimmed. Secrets were revealed, relived and shared. Raw, unfiltered words and emotions poured out. Awareness and shared connections led to teamwork and advocacy. Once again, I was reminded that compassion interrupts.
Each life was filled with dreams. Sadly, some of these dreams were crushed, seemingly never meant to be. Through persistence and a strong desire to right some wrongs, other dreams were born and realized.
The characters in this book were so very real. I was drawn deeply into their lives. What mattered to them, mattered to me. I don’t think that I will ever forget them. I loved how hope was restored to the hopeless. Please read this awesome book!
I received copies of this book from Harper Muse through AustenProse and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
I learned that abandonment and boredom can really change a person, especially when choices are removed and hope is dimmed. Secrets were revealed, relived and shared. Raw, unfiltered words and emotions poured out. Awareness and shared connections led to teamwork and advocacy. Once again, I was reminded that compassion interrupts.
Each life was filled with dreams. Sadly, some of these dreams were crushed, seemingly never meant to be. Through persistence and a strong desire to right some wrongs, other dreams were born and realized.
The characters in this book were so very real. I was drawn deeply into their lives. What mattered to them, mattered to me. I don’t think that I will ever forget them. I loved how hope was restored to the hopeless. Please read this awesome book!
I received copies of this book from Harper Muse through AustenProse and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All thoughts expressed in this review are mine.
April 12, 2025
Counting Backwards is a gripping, emotional novel that links a present-day legal battle at an ICE detention center to the true story of Carrie Buck, a young woman at the heart of a historic eugenics case. Through dual timelines, it explores reproductive rights, justice, and the lasting impact of systemic abuse. Powerful and thought-provoking, it’s a story that lingers long after the final page.
April 16, 2025
Incredible read! This fiction story about two women both with their own struggles with having children has you feeling like it could be non-fiction. The events that occur in history are starting to happen again especially with women’s rights. We seem to be going backwards and this novel captures it so well and pulls on your heart strings. I love how the author focuses more on the women in this story than love lives. Making them the main focus and really getting their stories across. Absolutely love this book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
March 2, 2025
A brilliant and timely portrayal of the eugenics movement in the United States and how it remains relevant today, as seen through a Supreme Court case a century ago and current ICE detention centers. This fictional telling captures the emotional and legal complications through main character Jessa as she struggles with her own fertility, her family history, and a deportation case that upends everything.
April 10, 2025
Based on the 1927 case of Buck v Bell, Counting Backwards is a legal, historical fiction set in the 1920s and 2020s. It is narrated from the perspective of Carrie Buck, a girl deemed feeble-minded and the state's test case to forcefully sterilise women. Back in the current day, Jessa is an attorney at a top NY law firm who takes on an immigration case at the local ICE detention centre, discovering a major cover-up of medical negligence and malpractice whilst she grows ever more obsessed with conceiving a child of her own. Whilst the current-day narrative is fictional, this could very well be a true story based on the state of the US at the moment...
Counting Backwards is up there as one of my favourite novels of 2025 so far. The book explores themes of motherhood, family, religion and the lasting legacy of the eugenics movement and the Holocaust. The themes are dealt with excellently, and there is real humanity shown through the character development of Jessa and how it explores what it means to be a successful woman.
I thought the pacing was excellent and it was very hard to stop reading as each chapter was left on a small cliffhanger. I felt the ending was slightly rushed and would have loved Jessa to discover more of her own family history rather than being spoonfed conveniently by her Grandmother but this is my only criticism.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the audiobook.
Counting Backwards is up there as one of my favourite novels of 2025 so far. The book explores themes of motherhood, family, religion and the lasting legacy of the eugenics movement and the Holocaust. The themes are dealt with excellently, and there is real humanity shown through the character development of Jessa and how it explores what it means to be a successful woman.
I thought the pacing was excellent and it was very hard to stop reading as each chapter was left on a small cliffhanger. I felt the ending was slightly rushed and would have loved Jessa to discover more of her own family history rather than being spoonfed conveniently by her Grandmother but this is my only criticism.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the audiobook.
October 22, 2024
thank you Harper Muse for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.
DNF at 58%
counting backward is a story focused deeply on how women get abused medically, ripped off their free will and forced or tricked into sterilization procedures, not only during a timeline set a hundred years ago, but in our very present time. we follow a lawyer working on a case and uncovering a doctor’s agenda and their acts taking place in a detention center, and a girl in the 20s, mistreted, abused and locked up. what an amazing, great promise, right? well.
the more time passed, the more i lost interest in the book. i didn’t care about any scene outside of the work on the case and the 1920s timeline. the main character is struggling to get pregnant, which could truly have gotten me interested but somehow, it didn’t.
the theme is, of course, extremely important and interesting, and i loved reading about that aspect but honestly, there was barely anything else that hooked me in that book, so i’d rather have read an article.
i didn’t care about the main character, i didn’t like how easily she can be influenced into anything. reading her thoughts, the way she gets strongish reactions, felt somehow weak. i didn’t like the way they read or sounded.
overall, for me, nothing was memorable about the book after you take out the non-fiction/real-life matter aspects (does that make sense?)
given, i didn’t go past 60% so maybe everything would’ve changed and my mind would have been blown (i really doubt it but who knows!) but the book was putting me in a really bad reading slump and no one likes that right?
it wasn't a fit for me, but i would still recommend it! mind the trigger warnings, please! but i'm sure it's a book many people can like :)
DNF at 58%
counting backward is a story focused deeply on how women get abused medically, ripped off their free will and forced or tricked into sterilization procedures, not only during a timeline set a hundred years ago, but in our very present time. we follow a lawyer working on a case and uncovering a doctor’s agenda and their acts taking place in a detention center, and a girl in the 20s, mistreted, abused and locked up. what an amazing, great promise, right? well.
the more time passed, the more i lost interest in the book. i didn’t care about any scene outside of the work on the case and the 1920s timeline. the main character is struggling to get pregnant, which could truly have gotten me interested but somehow, it didn’t.
the theme is, of course, extremely important and interesting, and i loved reading about that aspect but honestly, there was barely anything else that hooked me in that book, so i’d rather have read an article.
i didn’t care about the main character, i didn’t like how easily she can be influenced into anything. reading her thoughts, the way she gets strongish reactions, felt somehow weak. i didn’t like the way they read or sounded.
overall, for me, nothing was memorable about the book after you take out the non-fiction/real-life matter aspects (does that make sense?)
given, i didn’t go past 60% so maybe everything would’ve changed and my mind would have been blown (i really doubt it but who knows!) but the book was putting me in a really bad reading slump and no one likes that right?
it wasn't a fit for me, but i would still recommend it! mind the trigger warnings, please! but i'm sure it's a book many people can like :)
November 18, 2024
Thank you Harper Muse for providing this book for review consideration via Netgalley. all opinions are my own. **3.5 stars**
I am so glad I did not DNF it halfway!!
I have to admit, I had no idea eugenics programmes were real, which made this an even more eye-opening read. Carrie’s story, inspired by real events and based on the real Carrie Buck, adds a chilling layer of authenticity to the narrative. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt Jessa’s struggles often took centre stage, which occasionally overshadowed Carrie’s harrowing experience. Reading Jessa's parts seemed a little repetitive to me and often had me skipping lines. I couldn’t help but wish for more insight into Carrie’s perspective or even a glimpse into the lives of other inmates.
That said, Counting Backwards is a thought-provoking read that sheds light on a dark chapter of history, and it left me with much to think about.
I am so glad I did not DNF it halfway!!
I have to admit, I had no idea eugenics programmes were real, which made this an even more eye-opening read. Carrie’s story, inspired by real events and based on the real Carrie Buck, adds a chilling layer of authenticity to the narrative. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt Jessa’s struggles often took centre stage, which occasionally overshadowed Carrie’s harrowing experience. Reading Jessa's parts seemed a little repetitive to me and often had me skipping lines. I couldn’t help but wish for more insight into Carrie’s perspective or even a glimpse into the lives of other inmates.
That said, Counting Backwards is a thought-provoking read that sheds light on a dark chapter of history, and it left me with much to think about.
March 19, 2025
This dual time period novel focuses on the important issue of women’s reproductive rights. In the modern day, the story is focused on Jessa, a driven lawyer (who also has been trying to get pregnant). She takes on a pro bono case to help a woman detained by ICE to fight deportation, only to find that something more sinister may be happening in the detention center. And in the past, it’s the story of Carrie, a woman who eventually becomes the center of the Supreme Court case Buck v Bell about the legality of sterilizing people without their consent.
Often in dual time period books one timeline is more compelling than the other - but not in this one as both storylines were extremely interesting and emotional. This would make a great book club book, as there is a lot to dig into - reproductive rights, immigration, careers, relationships, and more.
I am probably one of the rare readers who had actually heard of the Supreme Court case, but I was hazy on the details and also enjoyed having it fleshed out into the story of a real person. And as a former lawyer myself (the author even went to the same law firm as me), I enjoyed the legal aspects of the book (though I had a nitpick or two about law firm life) but I think it could just as easily be enjoyed by someone without a legal background. This was my first book by Jacqueline Friedland, but I look forward to checking out her backlist.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy; all opinions are my own.
Often in dual time period books one timeline is more compelling than the other - but not in this one as both storylines were extremely interesting and emotional. This would make a great book club book, as there is a lot to dig into - reproductive rights, immigration, careers, relationships, and more.
I am probably one of the rare readers who had actually heard of the Supreme Court case, but I was hazy on the details and also enjoyed having it fleshed out into the story of a real person. And as a former lawyer myself (the author even went to the same law firm as me), I enjoyed the legal aspects of the book (though I had a nitpick or two about law firm life) but I think it could just as easily be enjoyed by someone without a legal background. This was my first book by Jacqueline Friedland, but I look forward to checking out her backlist.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy; all opinions are my own.
March 17, 2025
A compelling, powerful and emotionally-charged story that will leave you wanting more!
Why am I not seeing this book everywhere? Especially given how relevant it is to current times as we fight for women's reproductive rights.
Jessa is an attorney taking on a pro-bono client at an immigration detention center. She soon uncovers unlawful and barbaric medical practices against detainees at the facility. She is determined to seek justice for all the women who were mistreated and forced into sterilization without their consent. In an alternating timeline in the 1920's, Carrie Buck is a young girl forced into foster care. Subsequent horrifying events lead her to the forefront of a Eugenics case. Based on true events, COUNTING BACKWARDS tells the story of two women whose lives intersect almost a century apart, and the injustices that continue to place women's reproductive rights at risk.
This is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. With heavy topics such as infertility, eugenics, forced sterilization and deportation/immigration mistreatment, it's a heartbreaking yet eye-opening. The narrative weaves part fiction and part historical Supreme Court case into one cohesive and compelling plot. The audiobook dual narration is excellent; I finished in one day. I would've loved more from the viewpoint of the detainees and Carrie's life in the colony and after the ruling. I'll be recommending this book to anyone who will listen!
For fans of TAKE MY HAND, ONLY THE BEAUTIFUL and ERIN BROCKOVICH.
4.5 stars
Why am I not seeing this book everywhere? Especially given how relevant it is to current times as we fight for women's reproductive rights.
Jessa is an attorney taking on a pro-bono client at an immigration detention center. She soon uncovers unlawful and barbaric medical practices against detainees at the facility. She is determined to seek justice for all the women who were mistreated and forced into sterilization without their consent. In an alternating timeline in the 1920's, Carrie Buck is a young girl forced into foster care. Subsequent horrifying events lead her to the forefront of a Eugenics case. Based on true events, COUNTING BACKWARDS tells the story of two women whose lives intersect almost a century apart, and the injustices that continue to place women's reproductive rights at risk.
This is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you've finished reading. With heavy topics such as infertility, eugenics, forced sterilization and deportation/immigration mistreatment, it's a heartbreaking yet eye-opening. The narrative weaves part fiction and part historical Supreme Court case into one cohesive and compelling plot. The audiobook dual narration is excellent; I finished in one day. I would've loved more from the viewpoint of the detainees and Carrie's life in the colony and after the ruling. I'll be recommending this book to anyone who will listen!
For fans of TAKE MY HAND, ONLY THE BEAUTIFUL and ERIN BROCKOVICH.
4.5 stars
March 12, 2025
An incredibly moving dual timeline story about infertility, forced sterilization and the continued fight for women's bodily autonomy. The story follows lawyer, Jessa Gidney as she takes on a pro bono immigration case only to find herself up against a conspiracy of forced eugenics for profit and also grapples with her crumbling marriage, attempts to get pregnant and discoveries about a dark family secret.
Based on real events, this book is shockingly relevant at a time when women’s rights continue to be attacked and repealed. This was a highly emotional read and a great example of women's courage to stand up against injustice in the face of high personal and professional risks.
Highly recommended for fans of books like Only the beautiful by Susan Meissner and Take my hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (other books with themes of forced sterilization) or the real life Erin Brockovich class action case.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy and Uplit Reads for a gifted physical copy. This was my first by Friedland and is sure to be a favorite read of mine in 2025!
⚠️CW: miscarriage, infertility, forced sterilization
Based on real events, this book is shockingly relevant at a time when women’s rights continue to be attacked and repealed. This was a highly emotional read and a great example of women's courage to stand up against injustice in the face of high personal and professional risks.
Highly recommended for fans of books like Only the beautiful by Susan Meissner and Take my hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (other books with themes of forced sterilization) or the real life Erin Brockovich class action case.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy and Uplit Reads for a gifted physical copy. This was my first by Friedland and is sure to be a favorite read of mine in 2025!
⚠️CW: miscarriage, infertility, forced sterilization
March 2, 2025
I won this book through a ŷ giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Harper Muse for choosing me.
It's fiction, and yet the unfathomable amount of rage I felt for these women throughout the entire book was absolutely real. Carrie deserved so much more than what she was given. The women in the detention center deserved so much more. Jessa deserved so much more. Although it is not a book I would typically read, I am grateful I was selected as one of the winners. This is a story that's relevant to the times. It is moving and powerful. It needs to be read and then discussed again and again. By both men and women. It resonated with me. I raged, and I let the frustration run through me, and then I felt the sadness, too. Later, I felt relief and some joy, too. These women and their journeys will not be easy to stop thinking about.
It's fiction, and yet the unfathomable amount of rage I felt for these women throughout the entire book was absolutely real. Carrie deserved so much more than what she was given. The women in the detention center deserved so much more. Jessa deserved so much more. Although it is not a book I would typically read, I am grateful I was selected as one of the winners. This is a story that's relevant to the times. It is moving and powerful. It needs to be read and then discussed again and again. By both men and women. It resonated with me. I raged, and I let the frustration run through me, and then I felt the sadness, too. Later, I felt relief and some joy, too. These women and their journeys will not be easy to stop thinking about.
April 13, 2025
This might be one of my favorite historical fiction reads this year. What makes this story even more chilling is that Carrie Buck—the woman whose story is interwoven into the novel—is based on a real person at the center of a Supreme Court case that still stands.
Counting Backwards follows Jessa, a lawyer grappling with her fertility struggles while juggling a high-stakes pro bono immigration case. When she uncovers medical abuse at a detention facility, her journey takes an even more personal turn as she confronts a buried family secret that ties her to America’s dark history with eugenics.
I enjoyed Jessa’s evolution. Watching her confront hard truths—about the broken systems her great-grandfather had a hand in creating, but about her marriage, career, and identity—and having to redefine what those things mean for her felt so authentic.
This book also further proves that men with podcasts = red flag
Thanks to Harper Muse Audio for the advance listen!
Counting Backwards follows Jessa, a lawyer grappling with her fertility struggles while juggling a high-stakes pro bono immigration case. When she uncovers medical abuse at a detention facility, her journey takes an even more personal turn as she confronts a buried family secret that ties her to America’s dark history with eugenics.
I enjoyed Jessa’s evolution. Watching her confront hard truths—about the broken systems her great-grandfather had a hand in creating, but about her marriage, career, and identity—and having to redefine what those things mean for her felt so authentic.
This book also further proves that men with podcasts = red flag
Thanks to Harper Muse Audio for the advance listen!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.