"To me, this is not fiction."

I fully agree.  This story echoes past and current attitudes and realities, somewhere or another and that includes here and now in so-called "advanced" nations like the US of A.  The social changes that have come about in the last 100 years or so are still new, not settled, still being fought about, especially when it comes to women's management and control of their fertility.  

I don't think it is safe to ignore this book, given the current power of right-wing politics in this country.