Eugenic Nation: Faults and Frontiers of Better Breeding in Modern America

"Eugenic Nation is a masterful work that offers a bold and provocative argument about the impact of eugenics on California and the nation as a whole. Stern's analyses of US-Mexico immigration policy and 'eugenic landscapes' are particularly innovative and will surely change how subsequent scholars approach these topics."--Molly Ladd-Taylor, author of Mother-Work: Women, Child Welfare and the State, 1890-1930

"At long last a book about eugenics in California, which sterilized more people than any other state. Eugenic Nation reveals what fueled the movement, including Hispanic immigration, fear of disease, and environmental preservation. In all, an important and thought-provoking book."--Daniel J. Kevles, author of In the Name of Eugenics: Genetics and the Uses of Human Heredity

"Stern brilliantly exposes the dark role that the Golden State played as a leader in the closely-linked eugenics and early conservation movements. By demonstrating how theory became practice in California's institutions and laws, and how those ideas persist today, she reveals the survival of demons we thought we had vanquished."--Gray A. Brechin, author of Imperial San Francisco: Urban Power, Earthly Ruin

"Eugenic Nation examines the science of 'better breeding' in the American West, revealing the intimate relations of race science, gender, sexuality, and population policy in the twentieth century. With this important book, Stern transforms our understanding of eugenics in the US."--Warwick Anderson, author of The Cultivation of Whiteness: Science, Health, and Racial Destiny in Australia