Taking the Cure

About the Book

In 1945, tuberculosis was known as "the white plague" and was one of the world's leading causes of death. Victims were confined to sanatoriums under the control of state laws and not allowed to leave.

After she is diagnosed with tuberculosis, fourteen-year-old Betsy is taken from her home and forced to undergo treatment. For four years she remains in the hospital under punitive rules "more like a prison than most prisons." At the age of eighteen, faced with disfiguring surgery called thorcoplasty that will leave her with a caved-in chest, Betsy manages to escape from the hospital. With the help of new friends she bravely creates a covert life for herself.

Naively believing that nothing bad will happen, Betsy allows herself to be seduced by her first boyfriend. Her subsequent pregnancy causes her tuberculosis to flare anew, and she is forced to return to the hospital, where societal prejudices threaten her with the loss of her new baby. However, streptomycin and other new drugs finally cure the tuberculosis, and an unexpected romance ultimately transforms her life.

Based on author Sarah Taggart's own experiences, Taking the Cure is a reminder of tuberculosis's history and dangers.

About the Author

Sarah Taggart is a retired social work educator from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the author of three previous books: Living As If, Searching for Dr. God, and Autumn Garden. She is married and has three sons and six grandchildren.