Release Date: May 26, 2026
About The Book:
Based on the true story of an illegal women’s clinic at the center of a high-profile trial in 1940s Chicago and the nurse who risked her safety and freedom to work there, a thought-provoking, powerfully timely novel of courage, sisterhood, and women’s healthcare for readers of Kristin Hannah, Kerri Maher, and Audrey Blake.
In the fall of 1939, while Europe grapples with the outbreak of war, Mimi Lukas wages a private battle in her Chicago neighborhood. Her husband, Stan, once a promising White Sox player, has been sidelined by a broken leg. His hopes of returning to baseball are dwindling along with their savings. As Stan sinks into inertia, Mimi resolves to go back to nursing.
When a friend tells her of a women’s clinic in need of a nurse, Mimi hesitates. Such places are illegal and at odds with her religious upbringing. But Dr. Gabler’s office isn’t the dingy establishment Mimi envisioned. The space is clean, bright, and welcoming, the staff skillful. Patients are treated with dignity and compassion, even as they are sworn to secrecy about what happens within its walls.
The patients, too, are not who Mimi expected. Some are heartbreakingly young. Most are married, and many already have children. Police and state prosecutors are paid handsomely to turn a blind eye. As Mimi finds kinship with her colleagues and with an officer on retainer, she begins her own private reckoning between what is legal and what is necessary, no matter how painful or inconvenient.
But Mimi senses the tide turning against them. She knows, too, that soon she must decide how much she will risk to defend the ideals she’s come to embrace through hard-won experience . . .
Poignant and insightful, here is a story of courage and empathy, as timeless as it is timely.
About The Author:
Amanda Skenandore is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into multiple languages and garnered accolades from the American LibraryAssociation, Reader’s Digest, Silicon Valley Reads, and Apple Books. In 2024, she was awarded the Nevada Arts Council Literary Fellowship. Her writing explores lesser-known corners of history and, drawing on her 16 years as a registered nurse, often includes themes of medicine, justice, and belonging. Amanda lives in Las Vegas with her husband and their pet turtle, Lenore. www.AmandaSkenandore.com
Social Media:
Instagram:https://instagram.com/amandaskenandore
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSkenandoreAuthorPage
Book Blurbs:
With a gentle hand, Skenandore creates a captivating story about a subject matter often whispered about and swept under rugs. The importance of this story, the delicate nature, and the strength and courage it conveys is elegantly crafted, and Mimi Lukas, while fictional, embodies beautifully the heroines of our past, present, and future.” – Noelle Salazar, author of The Flight Girls
“A gripping, emotionally satisfying story of a nurse who finds her strength in the face of great personal peril. When No One Else Will is an unputdownable testimony to the resilience of women, and staying true to your principles, even when it might cost you everything. Skenandore is an author at the height of her powers.”– Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Devil and Mrs. Davenport
“Amanda Skenandore writes the books about forgotten chapters in women’s history that I love to read and in When No One Else Will she is at the top of her game. This is a heartfelt, heart-pounding, unputdownable story about real history with characters that leap off the page. I loved it! – Molly Fader, bestselling author of Lady X
“Amanda Skenandore immerses the reader into the 1930s back alley world of illegal abortion, hidden in plain sight in Chicago. The complex characters bring to light the challenges women faced in this powerful, timely story. Mimi’s struggle to reconcile her work, her family, and her faith is portrayed with compassion and sensitivity. Meticulously researched, When No One Else Will is a stunning novel, in turns uplifting and heartbreaking, that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.”- Jennifer S. Brown, author of The Whisper Sister
Bloggers On Tour:
May 19th- Subakka Bookstuff https://instagram.com/subakka.bookstuff
May 19th- Lindas Book Obsession https://www.facebook.com/lindasbookobsession/
May 19th – Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx
May 20th- Tiffany Vt4 https://instagram.com/tiffanyvt4
May 22nd- Sarahs Bookish Reviews https://instagram.com/sarahs.bookish.reviews
June 2nd- Love My Books 2020 https://instagram.com/lovemybooks2020
June 3rd – Novels and Latte Book Club –https://www.facebook.com/groups/357651988042629
June 7th- Plains Reading https://instagram.com/plains_reading
June 8th- CMT Loves Wine and Books https://instagram.com/cmtloveswineandbooks
June 12th- Reading Is My Remedy https://instagram.com/reading_is_my_remedy
June 20th – Books Love And Understanding https://instagram.com/booksloveandunderstanding
June 22nd-Carol Doscher https://instagram.com/carol_doscher_reader
June 23rd- Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine
June 27th- Jennifer Tar Heel Reader https://instagram.com/tarheelreader
June 27th- Coffee Break Book Reviews https://instagram.com/coffee.break.book.reviews
June 29th- Nature Books and Coffee https://instagram.com/nature.books.and.coffee
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