Mark Goldberg

My novel, "Three Generations," tells the parallel stories of three different women -- in 1927, 1979, and 2011. This is the opening scene of the 1979 story, with a section heading noting it as "Monday mid-afternoon, New York City": “DIE, you baby killers!” the woman screamed from across the street, her silver cross jostling with each thrust of her picket sign. “You monsters will burn in Hell for this!” Bev hurried into the clinic, past the reception area and through a set of double doors, far away from the angry woman and her crowd of apostles. Second time this week, Bev sighed, and it’s only Monday. Her weekend shift had been just as bad. Dr. Lillian Beverly Sterling — known commonly as Bev, but sometimes as Doc and most recently by a few epithets most well-raised women wouldn’t repeat in public — was named after her maternal grandmother. Thankfully she had her strength of character as well. Today she was going to need it. She didn’t usually let the protesters get to her, but she felt the acute sting of hatred from this crowd in particular. Walking down the back hallway toward the physicians’ locker room, she mentally ticked off the patients she knew would be coming. The second shift at the clinic brought the working-class women unavailable earlier in the day, the students coming after class, and the rare wife or girlfriend accompanied by their partner. Bev continued down the corridor, pausing briefly to acknowledge some patients visibly shaken by the ordeal of getting past the protesters. Abortion had been legalized in New York in 1970, but ever since the Supreme Court’s nation-wide ruling in Roe v. Wade, the opposition had been galvanized. Now, six years since Roe, the protests were daily and getting through the front doors seemed more difficult than ever. “Dr. Sterling, a moment?” Bev looked up, surprised to see the handsome Dr. Nicholas Linden walking toward her. “How nice of you to grace us with your presence,” she said flatly. “Rent past due?” “Nope. Here to evict the old widow next door,” he replied with that stupid smirk of his. Nicholas wasn’t nearly as charming as he thought. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” “Contrary to popular belief, Dr. Sterling, I don’t sit around all day twirling the ends of my sinister moustache,” Nicholas said, pretending to twist the ends of an imaginary moustache. “I do have a job.” Bev sighed. Not nearly as charming at all. Seeming to sense her impatience, Nicholas pointed to a couple of chairs lining the corridor. “Do you mind if we sit?” Watching him slide his lithe, bronzed body into the metal folding chair, Bev wondered how the thirty-something Manhattan hot shot could be so tan already. Tennis on the weekends? It was only April, a little early to have played much. Skin toner? Doubtful, but not entirely out of the question. Winter home in Miami? That seemed more likely. Especially for a member of the Linden family, who had enough money for warm playgrounds across the country. And enough seats on the hospital Board to be a thorn in her side, constantly trying to re-direct clinic funding toward their own pet projects. Still standing, Bev glanced down at her pale legs. At thirty-two, she retained the taut skin of youth, albeit one spent predominantly indoors studying. Years struggling to get into, afford, and then succeed in medical school had left little time for fun. She considered the carefree cad sitting before her. Rich little prick. “If you’re waiting for an engraved invitation, the mail doesn’t arrive for another forty-five minutes,” Nicholas said, pointing to the chair beside him. Bev opened her mouth to respond, then closed it and sat down. “Not worth it,” she muttered, mostly to herself. Nicholas smiled. Why was he always smiling? Or grinning? Or smirking? “Thanks to our fan club in the parking lot, I’m already behind schedule,” she said, “so make it snappy.” Nicholas grew somber. “Sorry about them. As much money as you all divert from my pre-natal unit, you know my beef with the clinic isn’t on ideological grounds. I don’t play religious politics.” Dr. Linden was an OB/GYN at Northern Manhattan Medical Center, the main hospital two blocks away. And like his father and grandfather, he was one of the financial hawks on its Board. “Right,” Bev replied. “The anti-abortion nuts want to save souls by damning us. You’re just after our paychecks and budget.” Nicholas winced, ever so slightly, then brushed his sandy blonde hair out of his eyes. Those damn protesters had gotten her so riled up, maybe she’d crossed a line. Removing her glasses, Bev massaged the bridge of her nose. “Look,” she said quietly, “I’ve been in the building less than five minutes and I’m already getting a headache. Maybe we can skip the banter and talk about whatever’s on your mind. I’d like to get to my first patient before she lets the crazies outside convince her that control over her own body isn’t worth eternal damnation.” “The thing about eternal damnation,” interrupted the sturdy woman in the white coat hovering above them, “is that it’s just so hard to get a good filet mignon in Hell.” Both Bev and Nicholas jumped to their feet at the sight of Dr. Martha Rosen, the clinic’s chief physician and undisputed authority on anything and everything, including Hell and steaks, apparently. Standing tall, her strong frame added to her stature. Her blondish-reddish hair, thick and frizzy around her face, took on a golden tint as it reflected the fluorescent lights. She looked like a lioness about to rip into her prey. “Good to see you, Dr. Rosen,” Bev said to her mentor, ignoring Nicholas. “Dr. Sterling,” the older woman replied evenly. “Go see your patient before the protesters scare her off. And take some aspirin.” Shooting Nicholas a smug look, Bev accepted the free pass and exited the conversation. “You. Sit,” Dr. Rosen said, pointing to Nicholas. “I have some thoughts to share about a certain call I received this morning.” As Bev walked down the hall, she turned to see the two doctors engaged in an animated debate. When Rosen noticed Bev watching, she shot her a sharp look, clearly suggesting Bev move along. Before turning the corner, Bev couldn’t resist one last peek. She saw Dr. Rosen shaking her head furiously, pointing her index finger alternately in the air and then at Nicholas. Say what you will about “Ramrod Rosen,” as she was less-than-affectionately known, she never let anyone get the best of her. Especially a slick pup like Nicholas. Whatever they were discussing, it was clear she was out for blood. Bev just wished she could stick around to see the carnage.

1. STORY STATEMENT: As an institutionalized woman fights against forced sterilization, three other women across different time periods pursue parallel journeys involving disability, heredity, and reproductive freedom: In 1927, Lily must break away from her sanitarium and gain agency over her own life. In 1973, Bev must save her abortion clinic and protect the rights of a young woman with Down syndrome. In 2011, Hana must come to terms with family secrets and her genetic heritage to decide her future as a wife and mother. 2. ANTAGONISTS: 1927: Lily’s mother-in-law, Mother Stark, who has stolen Lily’s dowry and imprisoned her in a sanitarium after giving birth to a Mongoloid child. Mother Stark is cold, calculating, and Machiavellian. She thinks she is on the side of righteousness, doing whatever it takes to protect her family’s standing and fortune. She recognizes Lily as both a financial savior to her family and its biggest threat. 1973: Nicholas, a rich and cocky doctor advocating that a young woman with Down syndrome receive an abortion and sterilization. He and fellow doctor Bev clash on how best to support this woman, as well as on funding and management of the clinic and how to protect it against violent threats from the anti-abortion movement. 2011: Hana’s fiancée-to-be, Scott, whose preoccupation with his own needs prevents Hana from moving their relationship forward and forging a future together. While Scott is the hero of his own story -- and his challenges caring for two developmentally disabled brothers are both laudable and engrossing -- he nevertheless serves as a roadblock to Hana in her journey of growth. In addition, a second but no less important antagonist for Hana is her father, whose steadfast secrecy about their history in Japan blocks her from understanding their past and her own genetic heritage. These two men continually thwart Hana as she seeks to discover and come to terms with her status as a Japanese outcaste and the risk of having developmentally disabled children with Scott. 3. TITLES: Preferred title: “Three Generations,” taken from a famous Supreme Court quote that is key to the book’s surprise ending, that “three generations of imbeciles are enough.” It is also a play on the structure of the novel, which follows three parallel stories from three different generations of women. Other potential titles: “Times of Strength” or “The Times of Ascent” (from a recurring phrase in the book: “savor the ascent”) 4. GENRE & COMPARABLES: Genre: Historical fiction and multigenerational fiction with parallel narratives Most relevant comparable: “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham (1998) Other potential comparable: "North Woods" by Daniel Mason (2023), “a sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries” 5. HOOK LINE / LOGLINE (core wound and primary conflict) In the shadow of a seminal Supreme Court case about eugenics and forced sterilization, a new mother in 1927 flees a sanitarium after being locked away for delivering a Mongoloid baby; a doctor in 1979 fights to protect a young woman with Down syndrome brought to her abortion clinic; and a graduate student in 2011 navigates the complexities of love, heritage, and genetic testing. 6. OTHER MATTERS FOR CONFLICT: Protagonist’s Inner Conflict: 1927: Lily must come to terms with the loss of her baby and how to rebuild her life. Also, about her relationship with the husband who appears to have abandoned her, but whom she relentlessly gives the benefit of the doubt. 1979: Bev must come to terms with her biased view of abortion (that she supports the right, but is personally against it), and learn to understand that some cases are so nuanced as to defy clear answers. 2011: Hana must decide whether she is really ready to start a life with Scott, or whether she has been using him to help fill the void of her mother’s absence. Secondary Conflict Involving the Social Environment: 1927: Lily battles the mores of the times in which a mother is blamed for giving birth to a disabled child, as well as the Eugenics Movement, which would sterilize a woman for such circumstances. 1979: In the recent aftermath of Roe v. Wade, Bev must deal with the heightened turmoil around abortion and the increasingly violent anti-abortion movement. 2011: Hana must come to terms with outdated views about the Japanese outcaste class and their surprising effect on contemporary society. 7. SETTING: 1927: Most of the action takes place at the U.S. Supreme Court, which at the time was housed in the Old Senate Chambers of the U.S. Capitol. The hallway, the courtroom, and an administrative office in the back provide fertile ground for action. The other major setting is St. Michael’s, a high-end public sanitarium with an exquisite and sprawling rural campus overlooking the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in Washington, D.C. This college campus-like facility is truly one of a kind, and is based on the historic and revered St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Other settings that play major roles to catalyze scenes include a strict boarding house with a colorful proprietress; the National Press Club; the upper-class home of the Marshal of the Supreme Court, complete with a garden and small cemetery; and Mount Ashford, a grand southern estate in Alexandria, Virginia. 1979: The two key settings are a twice-bombed abortion clinic in northern Manhattan, and it’s “pretty older sister,” the Northern Manhattan Medical Center (based on Columbia Presbyterian Hospital), a well-funded research hospital a few blocks away. Other important settings include Mayfair, a high-end institution for the developmentally disabled on the bequeathed estate of a deceased shipping magnate, and its polar opposite, a run-down shithole of a mental institution located on an old abandoned lot on Long Island. Several important scenes also take place at a seedy bar in downtown Manhattan. 2011: The majority of the action takes place at various locations across Cornell University, right after the devastating 2011 Tokyo earthquake and tsunami. A few flashbacks occur in Tokyo, while action toward the end of the story shifts to a suburban home in Northern Virginia, which used to be part of the 1927 estate of the Marshal of the U.S. Supreme Court (the current suburban home is close to the Marshal’s private cemetery, which is of significance)