Narrators: Amanda Stribling; Carolyn Jania
ISBN: 9781400347322
Publisher: Harper Muse
Publication Date: 03/11/2025
Format: Audio & e-book
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ALC) (ARC)
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.
New York, 2022. Jessa Gidney is trying to have it all--a high-powered legal career, a meaningful marriage, and hopefully, one day, a child. But when her professional ambitions come up short and Jessa finds herself at a turning point, she leans into her family's history of activism by taking on pro bono work at a nearby ICE detention center. There she meets Isobel Pérez--a young mother fighting to stay with her daughter--but as she gets to know Isobel, an unsettling revelation about Isobel's health leads Jessa to uncover a horrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the detention facility. One that shockingly has ties to her own family.
Virginia, 1927. Carrie Buck is an ordinary young woman in the center of an extraordinary legal battle at the forefront of the American eugenics conversation. From a poor family, she was only six years old when she first became a ward of the state. Uneducated and without any support, she spends her youth dreaming about a different future--one separate from her exploitative foster family--unknowing of the ripples her small, country life will have on an entire nation.
As Jessa works to assemble a case against the prison and the crimes she believes are being committed there, she discovers the landmark Supreme Court case involving Carrie Buck. Her connection to the case, however, is deeper and much more personal than she ever knew--sending her down new paths that will leave her forever changed and determined to fight for these women, no matter the cost.
Alternating between the past and present, and deftly tackling timely-yet-timeless issues such as reproductive rights, incarceration, and society's expectations of women and mothers, Counting Backwards is a compelling reminder that progress is rarely a straight line and always hard-won. A moving story of two remarkable women that you'll remember for years to come.
My Review
Jacqueline Friedland's fifth novel, COUNTING BACKWARDS, is a powerful, timely, and riveting must-read. Inspired by actual events, the author delves into America's dark history of eugenics in this gripping dual-timeline novel, a narrative that resonates with the ongoing struggle for women's rights.
Featuring two remarkably courageous women, COUNTING BACKWARDS delves into the essential and complex topics of eugenics, reproductive injustice, immigration law, fertility, sterilization, abortion, adoption, women's rights, and motherhood. Their bravery in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.
About...
New York, 2022:
Jessa Gidney, age 31, is a lawyer and has been passed over to be a partner at her Manhattan law firm. She wants to become a mother but has not had any luck. Dissatisfied with her career, she decides to take on pro bono work, and her first case is an incarcerated woman, Isobel, who is fighting against a deportation order.
Jessa soon discovers things about Isobel's health that lead her to a terrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the women's detention facility. Her corporate law firm is not supportive, and her husband Vance wants her to take time off from everything, but her mother is a huge supporter.
She is undecided about diving in with the stress; however, when she discovers a shocking family secret (her own), she knows she must fight for these women.
Virginia, 1927.
Carrie Buck, age 17, Virginia, has not had an easy life. She has dreams and wants to continue school and get an education. However, she is living with a foster family that made her quit school and work for them (unpaid).
She wants a family one day. The foster family's nephew takes advantage of her, and she becomes pregnant. The foster family is unsupportive, and now she is alone and pregnant with no future in sight.
As a ward of the State, she is designated as "feebleminded" and left to the mercy of a corrupt and heartless legal system. Her courageous fight for her destiny leads to a landmark Supreme Court case.
How will the women and their respective cases connect? Will they find the courage to fight for what they deserve against all odds? These questions form the intriguing thread that connects the two timelines in this riveting novel.
"Progress is rarely a straight line and always hard-won."
My thoughts...
COUNTING BACKWARDS is a hauntingly beautiful tale of loss, love, compassion, and hope that resonates with the emotional journey of women's rights. These memorable characters will tug at your heartstrings and remain with you long after the book ends. I loved these women!
As a former whistleblower (first case reaching federal level SOX Sarbanes-Oxley 2022), I love Erin Brockovich-type stories. I am passionate about fighting for the underdog and accountability, especially regarding justice for women and helping those with no voice. I found this novel to be a compelling read and a stark reminder that we still have a long way to go in protecting human rights, particularly women's reproductive rights.
With alternating POVs (two remarkable women) and a compelling dual-timeline, COUNTING BACKWARDS delivers a timely, emotional, and powerful message about the historical and present-day use of women's bodies against them. Inspired by real-life events, this essential read sheds light on a topic that still rings true today.
Thought-provoking, part coming of age, family drama, literary, historical, legal, and women's fiction, the brilliantly written novel exposes shocking revelations of the betrayal of women by governmental institutions and their fight for rights. It balances it with courage and hope with a satisfying conclusion.
It is a powerful, heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, legacy, and empowerment. This well-written novel is an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions. I appreciated the author's note and additional reading resources. My first book by the author, and I cannot wait to read more.
Pomegranates...
I enjoyed the symbolism of Pomegranates with the beautiful cover and more. Pomegranates have diverse cultural-religious significance as a symbol of life and fertility owing to their many seeds,
It is not difficult to see why the pomegranate has traditionally been considered a powerful visual metaphor for fertility. The pomegranate is known for the beauty of its shrub, flowers, and fruit—symbolizing sanctity, fertility, and abundance.
Audiobook...
I enjoyed reading the book and listening to the audiobook performed by the talented Amanda Stribling and Carolyn Jania. It further elevates this emotional story and makes the characters come alive with distinct and engaging voices for a must-listen audio experience!
Recs...
COUNTING BACKWARDS is for fans of the author and those interested in women's rights. Also, for fans of Meagan Church's The Last Carolina Girl and The Girls We Sent Away, Dolen Perkins Valdez's Take My Hand, and Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies. (all favorites).
Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for a gifted, advanced review and listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 11, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Praise
'A dual-timeline novel inspired by real events, COUNTING BACKWARDS examines the ways women's bodies have been used against them in American society both past and present. With well-developed, complex characters, the story truly comes to life as both Carrie and Jessa try to navigate the hands they've been dealt. As secrets and connections are revealed, layer by surprising layer, Friedland explores both responsibility and redemption with heft and grace.'
-- Jo Piazza, national and international bestselling author of THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE
'A gripping, timely, and important read. In COUNTING BACKWARDS, Jacqueline Friedland has crafted a nuanced, powerful, and eye-opening novel, driving home the urgency and fragility of women's reproductive rights. This is a thought-provoking story, perfect for lively book club discussion.'
-- Yvette Manessis Corporon, internationally bestselling author of DAUGHTER OF RUINS
'A riveting story about the lengths people will go to control the destinies of others and the secrets we keep even from those we love the most. Jacqueline Friedland uncovers a shameful moment in our country's history and in so doing, brings into the light people whom time has largely forgotten.'
-- Daisy Alpert Florin, author of MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR
'Bold, timely, and inspired by shocking real-life events, COUNTING BACKWARDS had me gripped from its opening chapter. In this courageous and propulsive novel, Friedland doesn't shy away from tackling hard questions about social responsibility, ancestral loyalty, what we owe each other as women, and--perhaps most crucially--what we owe ourselves.'
-- Carola Lovering, bestselling author of TELL ME LIES and BYE, BABY
'COUNTING BACKWARDS is a tightly woven dual-timeline novel that explores the way in which the sins of a family member can reverberate for generations and how society's mistreatment of women hasn't changed in decades. Jacqueline Friedland's ripped-from-the-headlines story is an Erin Brockovich for our times.'
-- Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of THE LIGHT WE LOST
'Fans of Jodi Picoult's SMALL GREAT THINGS (2016) and Chris Bohjalian's HOUR OF THE WITCH (2021) will appreciate Friedland's ability to balance weighty subject matter with moments of hope and genuine connection. With questions of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy echoing across generations, COUNTING BACKWARDS is a timely, thought-provoking, and sobering reminder that the fight for reproductive freedom is far from settled.'
-- Booklist
'Friedland gifts readers with richly developed characters in a dual-timeline tale that explores fertility, inequality, and reproductive rights--both past and present with an eye toward the future. COUNTING BACKWARDS is more than a powerful read, ultimately it teaches us ALL how to move forward.'
-- Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of THE GODDESS OF WARSAW
'Like Perkins-Valdez's TAKE MY HAND, Friedland's novel exposes a shocking--and even more recent--betrayal of women by government institutions . . . featuring a refreshing twist, [it] is unputdownable, not to mention incredibly resonant in these uncertain times.'
-- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of THE SPECTACULAR
'Sobering, thought-provoking, and courageous. COUNTING BACKWARDS sheds light on historical and modern injustices against women through two resilient female leads, court cases that will leave you stunned, and twists you won't see coming.'
-- Gabriella Saab, author of THE LAST CHECKMATE
'This is a riveting, compelling story--but it's also an important one, reminding us that history's darkest aspects can echo forward into our present day and that there is so much work left to do in the fight for freedom and equality.'
-- Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE GERMAN WIFE
'Timely, perceptive, and inspiring, COUNTING BACKWARDS is truly a book for this moment. By masterfully combining legal history with some of our most pressing present-day issues, Jackie Friedland delivers a tour de force about family, female independence, and choosing to embrace what really matters. Only an absolute pro like Friedland could write a book this smart and this pertinent that still makes readers cry at the end.'
-- Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN
'Libraries that choose COUNTING BACKWARDS for their collections will find it especially enlightening, impactful reading for women interested in women's rights, justice system operations, and issues of childbearing and loss . . . Readers will find both characters in the story exceptionally well developed. These lives not only dovetail and entwine in unexpected ways, but deliver a one-two punch of realism and shock that pave the way for a thoroughly engrossing story.' -- Midwest Book Review
About the Author
Photo Credit: Rebecca Weiss Photography
USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of He Gets That From Me, That’s Not a Thing, and Trouble the Water.
Jacqueline Friedland graduated Magna Cum Laude from both the University of Pennsylvania and NYU Law School. She practiced as a commercial litigator at the New York law firms of Debevoise & Plimpton, LLP and Boies, Schiller & Flexner, LLP. After determining that office life did not suit her, Jacqueline began teaching Legal Writing and Lawyering Skills at the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in Manhattan and working on her first book in her limited spare time. Finally deciding to embrace her passion and pursue writing full time, Jacqueline returned to school to earn her Masters of Fine Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, graduating from the program in 2016.
When not writing, Jacqueline is an avid reader of all things fiction. She loves to exercise, watch movies with her family, listen to music, make lists, and dream about exotic vacations. She lives in Westchester, New York with her husband, four children and two very bossy canines. WEBSITE
