The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded cover

The Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded

by Molly McCully Brown

"These poems explore the haunted legacy of the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded, an medical institution at the heart of the eugenics movement in the first half of the twentieth century in America. The author, who has cerebral palsy, grew up in the shadow of the former Colony in southwestern Virginia, aware that, had she been born fifty years earlier, she would quite possibly been admitted there, and exposed to a variety of inhumane treatments, including forced sterilization. Her poems give voice to the Colony's chorus of residents, reclaiming for them elements of their humanity" --

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?