Ellen Marie Wiseman is the author of the new novel The Lies They Told. Her other books include The Lost Girls of Willowbrook. She lives on the shores of Lake Ontario.
Q: What inspired you to write The Lies They Told, and how did you create your character Lena?
A: I first learned about eugenics while writing my debut novel, The Plum Tree, when I discovered that the United States was the first country in the world to undertake forced sterilization programs, and that the Nazi party in Germany took many of its policies, procedures, and theories from American eugenicists. (For more information, check out the Q&A in the back of the book.)
I also learned that the U.S. was the leader in the eugenics movement and, after WWI, held international conventions to spread the word to other countries.
Then, while researching two of my other novels, What She Left Behind and The Lost Girls of Willowbrook, I continued to find connections to eugenics due to the fact that those stories are about asylums and institutions built to isolate, and in many cases sterilize, anyone considered a burden to society or a threat to the American gene pool.
I was also surprised to discover that eugenics theories played numerous and significant roles in the history and culture of the United States, including stricter immigration laws, marriage laws, anti-miscegenation laws, and segregation.
And as I began to realize how all these things were connected, I was inspired to write a novel about how the eugenics movement affected average U.S. citizens.
But I also wanted to show how those theories and beliefs affected immigrants, and that’s how the character Lena was born. Not only does she experience the plight of incoming immigrants, but her dreams of a better life in America are shattered by eugenics when the movement destroys the family who took her in.
Q: How would you compare the treatment of immigrants depicted in your novel with the treatment of immigrants in the United States today?
A: Oh, that’s a tough question to answer because there are so many variables that affect the treatment of immigrants, both today and in the past.
In the early years of the U.S., immigration was largely unrestricted, and immigrants were encouraged to help settle the land and build the economy.
But during the first half of the 20th century, America’s sentiments towards immigrant groups changed dramatically, and a fear of the “new immigrants” emerged. The main concern was that they would become a public burden and degrade the quality of American life or pollute the American gene pool.
During that time, the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free discovered that policies of exclusion and eugenics made mere survival a battle. After a brutal passage to the U.S., immigrants were immediately judged and possibly imprisoned or deported based on their race, origin, class, and health upon arrival.
Today, many Americans have been falsely led to believe that all immigrants are criminals (among other things) when, in fact, studies show that immigrants, both legal and illegal, are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans.
Now, the fears of the past have been exploited by our government and immigrants are being rounded up and deported by ICE under the pretense of keeping the country safe, when in fact the majority of people held under inhumane conditions in ICE dentition centers are kept in facilities run by private, for-profit companies that receive payments billions of dollars from the government.
Q: How was the novel’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: My editor chose the title from a list I gave him. To me, The Lies They Told signifies the lies the U.S government told the American people about immigrants as well as their fellow citizens. It also signifies the lies asylums and institutions told patients about appendectomies and other benign surgeries when in fact they were performing sterilizations.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Right now, I’m working on a novel about the abuse in troubled teen schools. It’s loosely based on one of the first troubled-teen schools in the U.S., but sadly an estimated 5-10,000 of these types of “schools" are still in operation in the U.S.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to determine the exact number due to a lack of regulation and consistent definitions.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Yes, it’s important to note that understanding the American eugenics movement isn't just about learning from the past—it's about recognizing how old ideologies can resurface in new forms. Eugenics laws and beliefs had the power to tear families apart, to institutionalize people for life, and to take away a person’s right to have a family.
Unfortunately, the legacy of eugenics is still with us in our laws, our medical systems, our institutions, our schools, and our beliefs and assumptions about whose lives are considered valuable.
While America’s eugenics movement is a dark and painful chapter in our history, it’s one that echoes many of the injustices we see in the world today.
When I began researching this topic over three years ago, I never imagined how alarmingly relevant it would be in 2025. However, even before we saw migrants and citizens alike being detained and sent away, laws in 31 states—and Washington, D.C.—still permitted forced sterilization of immigrants, people with disabilities, and the incarcerated.
If anyone chooses to read The Lies They Told, I hope it entertains and inspires them.
But mostly, I hope it allows readers to step into the shoes of those who have lived through fear and injustice—to see their humanity, to recognize their pain, and to remember that all people, regardless of race, nationality, religion, education levels, physical or mental ability, deserve empathy, kindness, dignity, safety, and the chance to live free.
And I‘m grateful to you for having me again, Deborah!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Ellen Marie Wiseman.
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