Lilli De Jong: A Novel

"Janet Benton’s wonderfully imagined debut examines the consequences of a Quaker woman’s decision to keep her baby born out of wedlock. Set in 1880s Philadelphia, this elegantly crafted book immerses the reader in Lilli’s agonizing fight to achieve economic security for herself and her daughter, against a society that condemns both her pregnancy and her decision to mother. Amid contemporary efforts to narrow reproductive freedoms and demean women who assert their right to be free from sexual violence, Lilli’s struggles to abide by her principles are eerily relevant."