“Persuasively argued and well-researched. . . . The significance of Holloway’s study lies in reassessing Southern culture and politics . . . and ultimately making abundantly clear how vital the study of sexuality is to broader narratives in American history.” — Journal of Social History
“A good and workman-like book. . . . [Provides] a solid foundation for future studies of sex, class, race, and politics in Virginia and the rest of the modern South.” — H-Net Reviews
“Fascinating. . . . An important work that challenges some previous interpretations . . . while offering further insights.” — Virginia Libraries
“Deeply researched. . . . Recommended.” — CHOICE
“Zealously illuminates the many ways in which white elite men used racial myths and gendered biases to reinforce class hierarchies in Virginia.” — Journal of Interdisciplinary History
“[A] well-researched look at certain aspects of the attempted regulation of sexual life in Virginia from 1922 through World War II. . . . Draws out matters of concern that do not stop at the state’s borders . . . contribute[s] to our understanding of the decades treated.” — American Historical Review
“Holloway does an impressive job of demonstrating the relevance of sexual regulation to maintaining existing power relations. . . . She offers a compelling portrait of how a seemingly progressive agenda of public health and economic development in fact contributed to maintaining an older order of exclusion.” — Virginia Magazine
“This intelligent and original study of sexual politics reaches far beyond Virginia and the South. Holloway powerfully demonstrates how sexuality, the state, and inequality are thoroughly entwined. She not only illuminates a past that has remained obscure, but also casts light on matters that still dominate today’s headlines.” — John D'Emilio, co-author of Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America
“Drawing upon an interesting array of sources, Pippa Holloway makes an important contribution to our understanding of the politics of sexuality, social reform, and state formation in the mid-twentieth-century American South.” — J. Douglas Smith, author of Managing White Supremacy: Race, Politics, and Citizenship in Jim Crow Virginia
