Lakewood

A Novel

By: Megan Giddings

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

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.

One of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Reads (The Great First Half 2020 Books)

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.

Whoa..LOVED this twisted nuanced read!

Love how the author walks the line between horror and suspense versus gore and torture porn. If you’re looking for a well thought out dread, pit in the stomach, horror experience this book is for you. If you’re looking for the guts and gore horror experience this book is not for you.

As a Black female reader, I thought it was a really good dog whistle approach to Black identity, cultural responsibility, classist intersections, How science uses Blackness and Poverty for the “greater good” without really looking at the toll on humanity. I also enjoyed the unreliable narrator aspect of the novel and how it mimics sooooo much of the gaslighting BIPOC identities endure daily in this nation.

Fact or Fiction

This book is one where you have to really listen in order to hear the whole story. The book causes you to think about research in the African American community.

Horror wrapped in Black History

A mirror held up to reflect how Black Americans were treated and taken advantage of. A government then and now that protects its own while using others all for the sake of money. Desperate times call for desperate measures, a part of the generational deceit and lack of education.

I need to discuss

I felt like the story fell flat. I’m looking forward to discussing with others. Maybe I missed something.

You had to WANT to know

The book started off very slow. In the end it started to catch my attention but it ended and I didn’t even realize so now I have to go back and listen again to figure out what I missed