Call Me a Bastard
Call Me a Bastard is a serialized true story about Aimee Henry and Mary Martha Parker, two Gilded Age women locked in an epic battle of belonging. The complete series was published June-November 2024.
š 20 chapters + bonus content | Best read in order | 6 hours total reading time
QUICK NAVIGATION
ā¢ Start Reading: Chapter 1 ā ā¢ How to Read This Series ā ā¢ All Chapters ā ā¢ Bonus Content & Historical Context ā ā¢ Reader Discussion ā
The Story Behind the Story
The headline that led to Call Me a Bastard was spread across two columns in the September 19, 1928 issue of The New York Daily News: Woman Sues to Call Self a Love Child. The entire article was just seven paragraphs, but that was plenty to kick my curiosity into overdrive.
On June 25, 2024, the first chapter of Call Me a Bastard was released here on Substack, and over the next 20 weeks, Aimeeās remarkably true story kept readers begging for more.
What Readers Are Saying
āWow, wow, wow! This is a truly riveting story! Iām learning, however, the intricacies of families can be so convoluted that it makes even the most āout thereā soap operas seem tame!ā ā R.R.
āThis should be required reading for genealogists and historians. Sooner or later you will stumble into family secrets and there is a skill for navigating the facts, lies and emotions of relatives. Well done!ā ā D.S.
āThe reading of your excerpts every Tuesday go by too fast.ā ā M.K.R.
āThoroughly captivated by the episodic storytelling! Didnāt want it to end as it has been a pleasure to read.āāJ.S.
āomg...at this point, I am glad that I ādiscoveredā this story in November. I get to ābinge readā it. I would hate to be waiting now for the next installment!ā ā A.F.
Want to join these engaged readers?
How to Read Call Me a Bastard
This is a mystery that unfolds gradually.
SPOILER ALERT
To experience the full impact of this story, read chapters in order starting with Chapter 1. Avoid jumping ahead or reading the comments which may include spoilers.
Reading Tips
Each chapter is 10-15 minutes
Chapters tell Aimeeās continuing story
Bonus Content provides historical and social context (optional but enriching)
The story spans 1891-1982
Major revelations happen in Chapters 13 & 19
Total Reading Time
~6 hours across 20 chapters (plus bonus content)
READY TO BEGIN?
Start with Chapter 1: Stitched Together ā
THE COMPLETE STORY
PART ONE: Questions Without Answers (1891-1915)
Chapter 1: Stitched Together Released: June 25, 2024
Far from the prying eyes of society, Aimee Henry finds life at boarding school challenging and questions arise about her Boston Brahmin guardian, Mary Martha Parker.
š Reading Time: 12 minutes
Chapter 2: Christmas in Baltimore Released: July 2, 2024
When Aimee is invited to spend Christmas with Mary Martha and Archibald in Baltimore, she decides itās time to get answers to the questions she, and others, have been asking.
š Reading Time: 14 minutes
Chapter 3: The Pivot Released: July 9, 2024
As Aimeeās situation changes, sheās forced to change course to avoid the wrath of her Boston Brahmin guardian, Mary Martha Parker.
š Reading Time: 11 minutes
Chapter 4: Old Money Released: July 16, 2024
Mary Martha Parker had a lot to lose when Aimee Henry suggested the two might be blood related. In this chapter, we take a look at Boston Brahmins and the generational wealth that kept them at the top of the social ladder.
š Reading Time: 13 minutes
Chapter 5: The Butler Released: July 23, 2024
Aimee Henry represents a threat to Mary Martha Parker Taylor, and the Baltimore society lady is having none of it, in this chapter filled with a shocking turn of events.
š Reading Time: 15 minutes
Chapter 6: Amelia Spills the Tea Released: July 30, 2024
When Aimee Henry seeks out the help of Amelia Wright, Mary Martha Parkerās longtime nurse and companion, she gets more than she bargained for!
š Reading Time: 14 minutes
Chapter 7: The Balancing Act Released: August 6, 2024
Devastated by Amelia Wrightās revelation, and needing to escape the influence of her mother, Aimee Henry gets married, and is forced to reckon with her own paternity.
š Reading Time: 13 minutes
Chapter 8: Bad Math Released: August 13, 2024
Amelia Wright reveals the name of Aimeeās father to Aimee, but some things simply donāt add up.
š Reading Time: 12 minutes
Chapter 9: The Rollercoaster Released: August 20, 2024
Aimeeās joy at being a wife and mother is tempered by Johnās knowledge that sheās not who he thought she was.
š Reading Time: 14 minutes
Chapter 10: Earthquake Released: August 27, 2024
Pushed to the end of her rope, Aimee has some big decisions to make, and what she decides changes everything.
š Reading Time: 15 minutes
PART TWO: The Truth Emerges (1915-1923)
Chapter 11: The Long Game Released: September 3, 2024
After recognizing the betrayal and manipulation she has endured at the hands of Mary Martha and John for what it is, Aimeeās need for reckoning grows.
š Reading Time: 13 minutes
Chapter 12: Let the Battle Begin Released: September 10, 2024
Aimee and her legal team fire the first shots in a battle to force Mary Martha to acknowledge she is Aimeeās mother.
š Reading Time: 14 minutes
Chapter 13: The Court of Public Opinion Released: September 17, 2024
ā ļø MAJOR REVELATION
Aimeeās sworn statement, the Rothesay affidavits and Mary Marthaās own words all come together to reveal Mary Marthaās secret.
š Reading Time: 16 minutes
Chapter 14: Catch-22 Released: September 24, 2024
The Wheels of Justice Grind Slow but Grind Fine ~ Sun Tzu
š Reading Time: 12 minutes
Chapter 15: The Price of Silence Released: October 1, 2024
And The Cost of Keeping a Secret.
š Reading Time: 13 minutes
PART THREE: The Aftermath (1923-1982)
Chapter 16: Differently Motivated Released: October 8, 2024
We all do things for reasons others may never understand.
š Reading Time: 11 minutes
Chapter 17: Home at Last Released: October 15, 2024
Home is Where the Heart Is.
š Reading Time: 14 minutes
Chapter 18: A House of Cards Released: October 22, 2024
Mary Marthaās efforts to control her inheritance fall apart.
š Reading Time: 12 minutes
Chapter 19: The Lawyers Take Over Released: October 29, 2024
ā ļø MAJOR REVELATION
Mary Marthaās convoluted will leads to legal battles and a major surprise.
š Reading Time: 13 minutes
Chapter 20: Mary Marthaās Secrets Released: November 5, 2024
In the end, there are no secrets time wonāt reveal.
š Reading Time: 15 minutes
Ready to Start Reading?
The mystery begins in 1891 Boston. A wealthy socialite. A little girl with unclear origins. A secret that would consume both their lives.
š Start with Chapter 1: Stitched Together
BONUS CONTENT: Historical Context
Want to understand the world Aimee and Mary Martha lived in? These deep-dives provide historical and social context for each chapter.
Note: Bonus content is optional but enriches the reading experience by exploring the cultural, historical, and social dynamics of the Gilded Age through mid-20th century America.
A Culture Unto Itself ā¢ June 28, 2024 ā¢ A look at the culture of boarding schools during the years Aimee Henry was a student, including dress codes, popular opinion and a history of womenās education.
Baseborn ā¢ July 5, 2024 ā¢ A look at the shame surrounding illegitimate births and the lengths to which some families went to keep them secret.
Nursing America ā¢ July 12, 202 ā¢ 4 A look at private duty nursing, the Baltimore Directory and the role of nurses and nursing education in America during the early part of the 1900s.
Harvey on a Roll ā¢ July 19, 2024 ā¢ A look at what Harvey Parker brought to the table, including the Saturday Club and its famous members, and the Parker House Roll.
Generational Wealth Explained ā¢ July 21, 2024 ā¢ A look at the ways Mary Marthaās maternal great-grandfather, Israel Thorndike, created generational wealth and the impact it had on his family.
The Herstory of Hysteria ā¢ July 26, 2024 ā¢ A look at women and mental health, including the diagnosis of hysteria, and the Rest Cure at the heart of The Yellow Wallpaper.
Dating Aimee ā¢ August 2, 2024 ā¢ A look at how to construct a reasonable historical timeline based on inconsistent information and memories that donāt always make sense.
Groverās Secret ā¢ August 9, 2024 ā¢ A look at the political scandal over illegitimacy that haunted Grover Cleveland, and the impact it had on those involved.
Hero to Zero ā¢ August 16, 2024 ā¢ A look at the myth and the man that was Allen Thorndike Rice, Mary Marthaās cousin, and the man Aimee believed was her father.
Down the Rabbit Hole ā¢ August 23, 2024 ā¢ A look at what Mary Marthaās plans for Aimee might have been, and how and why things changed.
The Academics of Secrets ā¢ August 30, 2024 ā¢ A look at the research and science of keeping secrets with insight into the secrets at the heart of Call Me a Bastard, the true story of Aimee Henry and Mary Martha Parker.
The State of Marriage ā¢ September 6, 2024 ā¢ Looking at marriage through Dorothy Dix, Senor del Toro and Gretna Greene.
Archibaldās Will ā¢ September 13, 2024 ā¢ A look at how Mary Marthaās husband divided his estate, and what it might say about him.
Dames, Names & Documents ā¢ September 20, 2024 ā¢ A look at why Aimee chose to push for membership in the Society of Colonial Dames as part of her case against Mary Martha.
Breadlines ā¢ September 27, 2024 ā¢ A look at womanās experience of hunger and the Great Depression in 1932.
Aimeeās Second Chance ā¢ October 18, 2024 āWe all have big changes in our lives that are more or less second chances.ā ā Harrison Ford
READER DISCUSSION & WRAP-UP
Revisiting the Story of Aimee Henry & Mary Martha Parker ā¢ July 1, 2025 ā¢ When Call Me a Bastard was published in 2024, there were still some outstanding questions, now there are some answers
A Family Connection ā¢ November 12, 2024 ā¢ My conversation with Lainey Tibbetts.
Thatās a Wrap ā¢ November 8, 2024 ā¢ Readers have questions, and Iām answering them.
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