Availability:
Library | Call Number | Format | Status | Item Holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Brockton West Branch | GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Cohasset Paul Pratt Memorial Library | GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Milton Public Library | FIC GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Plymouth Public Library | GID | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Quincy Thomas Crane Library | GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Scituate Town Library | GID | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Stoughton Public Library | FIC GID | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Walpole Public Library | GIDDINGS 2020 | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Weymouth Tufts Library | GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Searching... Whitman Public Library | GIDDINGS | BOOK | Searching... Unknown | Searching... Unavailable |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
NPR Book of the Year 2020
Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020 | Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books | Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To Reading | One of The Millions' Most Anticipated Reads of 2020 | Amazon Book of the Month Pick | Audible Editor's Pick | Essence's Pick| Glamour's Must Read | Ms. Magazine's Anticipated Read of 2020
A startling debut about class and race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation--part The Handmaid's Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
When Lena Johnson's beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan.
On paper, her new job is too good to be true. High paying. No out of pocket medical expenses. A free place to live. All Lena has to do is participate in a secret program--and lie to her friends and family about the research being done in Lakewood. An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away.
The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world--but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she's willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family.
Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Giddings's chilling debut, Lena Johnson takes a leave from college after her grandmother dies and must find a way to financially support herself and her mother, who suffers from a mysterious but debilitating illness. Serendipitously, she receives an invitation to apply to the Lakewood Project, a series of research studies about memory. If chosen, Lena will receive a hefty paycheck and, crucially, insurance that would cover all of her mother's health-care costs. After an invasive screening process that includes uncomfortable questions about race and being injected with strange substances, Lena is invited to participate. This involves moving to Lakewood, a nearby town in Michigan, and leading a double life. After signing an NDA, she's instructed to tell her family and friends, through monitored communication, that she works for a shipping company. In reality, she and the other participants--all of them black, Indian, or Latin--must undergo grueling evaluations and take part in experiments (such as eye drops that change eye color, and being put on a diet of cream pellets only) that can have fatal consequences, all under the watch of "observers," all of whom are white. Though the book's second half doesn't quite live up to the promise of the first, Giddings is a writer with a vivid imagination and a fresh eye for horror, both of the body and of society. This eerie debut provides a deep character study spiked with a dose of horror. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
After Lena Johnson's grandmother dies, the millennial is overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of her sickly mother, who has no insurance and a growing stack of unpaid bills. Lena drops out of college and moves back home to help. After multiple job interviews, she receives an invitation to participate in the Lakewood Project, a series of research studies about mind, memory, personality, and perception. Lena accepts the job, with its promises of health insurance for her mother and a sizable bank account. She never anticipates the isolation caused by not being able to fully communicate about the project with her family and friends, or the terrifying effects of the experiments themselves, which turn her eyes blue and blur the lines between reality and an alternate state. As the truth about the experiment reveals itself, Lena discovers a connection that almost answers all her questions. Giddings writes with eloquence, walking readers through the complicated world of Lakewood. They'll be eager to turn each page and read what happens next.--LaParis Hawkins Copyright 2020 Booklist