Book review: Lynn Sacco, Unspeakable: Father-Daughter Incest in American History

Book review: Lynn Sacco, Unspeakable: Father-Daughter Incest in American History

Despite a recent surge of interest in histories of childhood and child sexual abuse, the topic of incest has seemingly shifted from being ‘unspeakable’ to being hidden in plain sight. While bookshops are practically brimming with popular titles such as When Daddy Comes Home and Don't Tell Mummy, detailed historical studies of incest remain rare. Lynn Sacco aims to remedy this with her book-length study of incest in the USA between 1890 and 1914, in which she draws attention to the often-overlooked role of medical practitioners in detecting incestuous relationships between fathers and daughters.

Medicine (miscellaneous), History