Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of racism, gender discrimination, pregnancy loss, child sexual abuse, and rape.

The author notes that his family history inspired him to write this novel. As an adult, he discovered that one of his family members became pregnant while she was still a teenager. She was sent to a home for unwed mothers and was forced to give up her child. These homes were common during the years before the outcome of Roe v. Wade was decided, but they are largely forgotten today. The author hopes that this book raises awareness of the plight of countless young women whose reproductive health choices were made for them by parents, clergy, and doctors.

Neva and her father are in the car. Her father is furious with her because she is pregnant at age 15. The father of her baby is Guy, a 17-year-old boy from her high school. Although he hadn’t introduced her to his friends, he had taken her on a few dates. She hadn’t been sure that she wanted to have sex with him, but they ended up having sex anyway, and she didn’t enjoy it. She tried to keep the pregnancy a secret for as long as possible, but when her parents finally found out, they sent her to her aunt Peggy’s.