Counting Backwards - by Jacqueline Friedland

About the Book

Told in two alternating narratives bound by a shocking parallel of issues such as reproductive rights and society's expectations of women and mothers, Counting Backwards is a compelling reminder that progress is rarely a straight line and always hard-won.

Book Synopsis

A ZIBBY OWENS MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2025! SHEREADS PICK OF 2025!

Told in two alternating narratives bound by a shocking parallel of issues such as reproductive rights and society's expectations of women and mothers, Counting Backwards is a compelling reminder that progress is rarely a straight line and always hard-won. "Erin Brockovich for our times." (Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author)

New York, 2022. Jessa Gidney is trying to have it all--a high-powered legal career, a meaningful marriage, and hopefully, one day, a child. But when her professional ambitions come up short and Jessa finds herself at a turning point, she leans into her family's history of activism by taking on pro bono work at a nearby detention center. There she meets Isobel Perez--a young mother fighting to stay with her daughter--but as she gets to know Isobel, an unsettling revelation about Isobel's health leads Jessa to uncover a horrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the detention facility. One that shockingly has ties to her own family.

Virginia, 1927. Carrie Buck is an ordinary young woman in the center of an extraordinary legal battle at the forefront of the American eugenics conversation. From a poor family, she was only six years old when she first became a ward of the state. Uneducated and without any support, she spends her youth dreaming about a different future--one separate from her exploitative foster family--unknowing of the ripples her small, country life will have on an entire nation.

As Jessa works to assemble a case against the prison and the crimes she believes are being committed there, she discovers the landmark Supreme Court case involving Carrie Buck with shockingly similar implications to the one before her now. Her connection to the case, however, is deeper and much more personal than she ever knew--sending her down new paths that will leave her forever changed and determined to fight for these women, no matter the cost.

". . . a riveting, compelling story--but it's also an important one, reminding us that history's darkest aspects can echo forward into our present day and that there is so much work left to do in the fight for freedom and equality."--Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The German Wife.

Review Quotes

'Libraries that choose COUNTING BACKWARDS for their collections will find it especially enlightening, impactful reading for women interested in women's rights, justice system operations, and issues of childbearing and loss . . . Readers will find both characters in the story exceptionally well developed. These lives not only dovetail and entwine in unexpected ways, but deliver a one-two punch of realism and shock that pave the way for a thoroughly engrossing story.'--Midwest Book Review

'Fans of Jodi Picoult's SMALL GREAT THINGS (2016) and Chris Bohjalian's HOUR OF THE WITCH (2021) will appreciate Friedland's ability to balance weighty subject matter with moments of hope and genuine connection. With questions of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy echoing across generations, COUNTING BACKWARDS is a timely, thought-provoking, and sobering reminder that the fight for reproductive freedom is far from settled.'--Booklist

'A gripping, timely, and important read. In COUNTING BACKWARDS, Jacqueline Friedland has crafted a nuanced, powerful, and eye-opening novel, driving home the urgency and fragility of women's reproductive rights. This is a thought-provoking story, perfect for lively book club discussion.'--Yvette Manessis Corporon, internationally bestselling author of DAUGHTER OF RUINS

'Sobering, thought-provoking, and courageous. COUNTING BACKWARDS sheds light on historical and modern injustices against women through two resilient female leads, court cases that will leave you stunned, and twists you won't see coming.'--Gabriella Saab, author of THE LAST CHECKMATE

'A riveting story about the lengths people will go to control the destinies of others and the secrets we keep even from those we love the most. Jacqueline Friedland uncovers a shameful moment in our country's history and in so doing, brings into the light people whom time has largely forgotten.'--Daisy Alpert Florin, author of MY LAST INNOCENT YEAR

'Bold, timely, and inspired by shocking real-life events, COUNTING BACKWARDS had me gripped from its opening chapter. In this courageous and propulsive novel, Friedland doesn't shy away from tackling hard questions about social responsibility, ancestral loyalty, what we owe each other as women, and--perhaps most crucially--what we owe ourselves.'--Carola Lovering, bestselling author of TELL ME LIES and BYE, BABY

'COUNTING BACKWARDS is a tightly woven dual-timeline novel that explores the way in which the sins of a family member can reverberate for generations and how society's mistreatment of women hasn't changed in decades. Jacqueline Friedland's ripped-from-the-headlines story is an Erin Brockovich for our times.'--Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of THE LIGHT WE LOST

'Timely, perceptive, and inspiring, COUNTING BACKWARDS is truly a book for this moment. By masterfully combining legal history with some of our most pressing present-day issues, Jackie Friedland delivers a tour de force about family, female independence, and choosing to embrace what really matters. Only an absolute pro like Friedland could write a book this smart and this pertinent that still makes readers cry at the end.'--Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of THE LOVE ELIXIR OF AUGUSTA STERN

'A dual-timeline novel inspired by real events, COUNTING BACKWARDS examines the ways women's bodies have been used against them in American society both past and present. With well-developed, complex characters, the story truly comes to life as both Carrie and Jessa try to navigate the hands they've been dealt. As secrets and connections are revealed, layer by surprising layer, Friedland explores both responsibility and redemption with heft and grace.'--Jo Piazza, national and international bestselling author of THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE

'Like Perkins-Valdez's TAKE MY HAND, Friedland's novel exposes a shocking--and even more recent--betrayal of women by government institutions . . . featuring a refreshing twist, [it] is unputdownable, not to mention incredibly resonant in these uncertain times.'--Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of THE SPECTACULAR

'This is a riveting, compelling story--but it's also an important one, reminding us that history's darkest aspects can echo forward into our present day and that there is so much work left to do in the fight for freedom and equality.'--Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of THE GERMAN WIFE

'Friedland gifts readers with richly developed characters in a dual-timeline tale that explores fertility, inequality, and reproductive rights--both past and present with an eye toward the future. COUNTING BACKWARDS is more than a powerful read, ultimately it teaches us ALL how to move forward.'--Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of THE GODDESS OF WARSAW