Discovering America's history with eugenics
Wiseman states she first learned about American eugenics while researching her debut novel, realizing the US was a pioneer in forced sterilizations that later influenced Nazi Germany.
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Ellen Marie Wiseman
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction whose novels have been translated into twenty-two languages. Her works include The Orphan Collector, What She Left Behind, The Plum Tree, Coal River, The Life She Was Given, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, and The Lies They Told. She was born and raised in Three [Rivers, NY, per partial source text].
Biographical details sourced from Penguin Random House.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Lies They Told.
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Books ReviewedIn Ellen Marie Wiseman's own words
Author Ellen Marie Wiseman joins Jane Healey on Historical Happy Hour to discuss her novel The Lies They Told and the history behind it.
Uploaded by The Jane Healey Happy Hour Podcast, 2025 · Watch on YouTube ·
Upcoming novel about troubled teen schools
Wiseman reveals her next historical fiction project explores the origins of the troubled teen industry, loosely inspired by Maine's controversial Élan School.
Also in this interview
Ask LuvemBooks about Ellen Marie Wiseman
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a New York Times bestselling historical fiction author whose novels have been translated into twenty-two languages, and whose work digs into dark corners of real history. We've reviewed 1 of their books, The Lies They Told, which follows a German immigrant mother in 1930s Virginia colliding with America's eugenics movement — a novel praised for immersive period detail that moves slowly but lands hard. It holds a 4.4/5 reader rating from over 6,200 Amazon ratings.
- Where should I start?
- The Lies They Told is the natural starting point — it's the Ellen Marie Wiseman novel we've reviewed, and it showcases what they do well: a young German immigrant named Lena arrives in 1930s rural Virginia with her baby and collides with America's eugenics movement. The book is praised for its immersive period detail and carries a 4.4/5 reader rating from 6,240 Amazon ratings.
- What's their writing style?
- Based on our review of The Lies They Told, Wiseman's hallmark is immersive period detail — their historical settings feel thoroughly lived-in rather than decorative. The pacing is deliberate; the novel moves slowly, but the story lands hard by the end. It's a style suited to weighty historical subject matter like the American eugenics movement.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed 1 Ellen Marie Wiseman book so far. The Lies They Told follows Lena, a young German immigrant in 1930s rural Virginia, whose life collides with America's eugenics movement — immersive period detail, slow-burn pacing, and a story that lands hard. It holds a 4.4/5 reader rating from 6,240 Amazon ratings.
- What genre do they write?
- Ellen Marie Wiseman writes historical fiction. The Lies They Told, the book we've reviewed, is set in 1930s rural Virginia and engages directly with real history — specifically America's eugenics movement — through the story of a German immigrant mother.
- What should I read after The Lies They Told?
- Since The Lies They Told is the only Ellen Marie Wiseman book we've reviewed, we can't point you to another reviewed title yet. Wiseman's other novels — including The Orphan Collector, What She Left Behind, The Plum Tree, Coal River, The Life She Was Given, and The Lost Girls of Willowbrook — are the natural next stops for readers who want more of their historical fiction.
Who is Ellen Marie Wiseman?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
What genre do they write?
What should I read after The Lies They Told?
Who is Ellen Marie Wiseman?
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction whose novels have been translated into twenty-two languages. Their works include The Orphan Collector, What She Left Behind, The Plum Tree, Coal River, The Life She Was Given, The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, and The Lies They Told. Their fiction tends to engage with real historical events, as with the eugenics movement backdrop of The Lies They Told.
Follow up
What is Ellen Marie Wiseman best known for?
What books has Ellen Marie Wiseman written?
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