The Unfit Heiress – Audiobook Online

The Unfit Heiress is an audiobook written by Audrey Clare Farley that delves into the fascinating true story of Doris Duke, an American tobacco heiress. The book explores Duke’s life and the controversies surrounding her inheritance, relationships, and legal battles.
Doris Duke was born on November 22, 1912, in New York City. She was the only child of James Buchanan Duke, a wealthy tobacco tycoon who founded the American Tobacco Company. As the sole heir to her father’s fortune, Doris Duke inherited a vast amount of wealth at a young age.
Farley’s audiobook examines the societal expectations placed upon Doris Duke as an heiress and how she defied those expectations throughout her life. Despite being born into extreme wealth, Duke sought independence and pursued her own interests and passions.
One of the key aspects explored in The Unfit Heiress is Doris Duke’s unconventional relationships. She married twice, first to James Cromwell in 1935 and then to Porfirio Rubirosa in 1947. Both marriages ended in divorce, and Duke faced public scrutiny for her choices. Farley delves into the complexities of these relationships and analyzes how they impacted Duke’s public image.
Another significant aspect of Doris Duke’s life covered in the audiobook is her philanthropic endeavors. Despite her controversial personal life, Duke dedicated a substantial portion of her wealth to various charitable causes. She supported organizations focused on medical research, environmental conservation, and the arts.
However, The Unfit Heiress also sheds light on the legal battles that plagued Doris Duke’s later years. After her death in 1993, disputes arose over her will and the distribution of her estate. Farley examines these legal battles and provides insight into the motivations behind them.
Overall, The Unfit Heiress offers a comprehensive exploration of Doris Duke’s life, highlighting her struggles, triumphs, and the impact she had on society as a wealthy and independent woman.

The Unfit Heiress – Audiobook Online By: Audrey Clare Farley

For listeners of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Phantom of 5th Avenue, a drama about fortunes, eugenics, and women’s reproductive rights staged by a bad court battle between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her social mother.

In the early 20th century, American women began to reject Victorian correctness in favor of passions and livelihoods outside of the home. This worries authorities, who fear some “over-sex” women could destroy civilization if allowed to reproduce and pass on their defects. Set against this backdrop, The Inappropriate Heir chronicles the battle for inheritance, both genetic and money, between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her mother, Maryon.

In 1934, backed by California’s eugenics law, social media site Maryon Cooper Hewitt declared her “promiscuous” daughter debilitated and sterilized without her knowledge. She does this to deprive her father of millions of dollars of his estate, which includes the provision for childbearing. When a sensational case ensued, the American public was hooked. So did the eugenics, who saw an opportunity to limit reproductive rights in America for decades to come.

This compelling story unfolds through the brilliant research of Audrey Clare Farley, who chronicled the inner lives of these women in this book and raises questions that are still relevant today. : What does “unfit” to be a mother mean? In the battle for reproductive rights, can we forgive the women who take our side? And can we forgive our mothers if they are the ones causing the deepest wounds?

The author deftly weaves together one person’s gruesome personal experiences while examining the socio-legal and economic impact of forced sterilization in history. At least this was an overwhelming task and she performed it with such attention to detail and skill that I was completely hooked. Sadly, it shows how far away reproductive rights, justice and gender, economic and social equality are still. Highly recommended.

Inequality in America is much deeper than I ever imagined. It was an unusual conversation I had with my eldest daughter about Eugenics the day before I bought this audiobook. It has been practiced for too long in our long history. I’m sick of white men thinking about all women. I recently heard in the news that getting white women to reproduce is still a problem. I have no more words to say. I am a Christian woman who does not believe that women should go barefoot and get pregnant.

 

Audiobookss audio player

Hi everyone, please be noticed that the Audio player doesn't play next track on IOS version < 15.6. If you are facing that issue, just upgrade your IOS to version 15.6 to fix it. Enjoy!