In 1968 we meet six teens confined at the Good Shepherd-a dark and secretive institution controlled by Sisters of Charity nuns-locked away merely for being gay, pregnant, or simply unruly. Mairin- free-spirited daughter of Irish immigrants, committed to keep her safe from her stepfather. Angela-denounced for her attraction to girls, sent to the nuns for reform, but instead found herself the victim of a predator. Helen-the daughter of intellectuals detained in Communist China, she saw her ‘temporary’ stay at the Good Shepherd stretch into years. Odessa-caught up in a police dragnet over a racial incident, she found the physical and mental toughness to endure her sentence. Denise-sentenced for brawling in a foster home, she dared to dream of a better life. Janice-deeply insecure, she couldn’t decide where her loyalty lay-except when it came to her friend Kay, who would never outgrow her childlike dependency. Sister Bernadette-rescued from a dreadful childhood, she owed her loyalty to the Sisters of Charity even as her conscience weighed on her. Wayward Girls is a haunting but thrilling tale of hope, solidarity, and the enduring strength of young women who find the courage to break free and find redemption…and justice.
