Life...The Vivere

ARTFUL READERS CLUB

"THE ORPHAN TRAIN" by Christina Baker Kline

February 25, 2015 

Life was tough in New York City and the east coast during the late 1800's: there were at least 10,000 orphaned children living on the streets. The Children's Aid Society tried to help relocate these children through their ORPHAN TRAIN program... a program that transported more than 200,000  homeless, orphaned or abandoned children by train,  to the Midwest, over a period of 70+ years... 1854-1929. Ostensibly, the goal of the Orphan Train was to have each child adopted by a loving, caring family. But too often, the adoption became one of indentured servitude to people who wanted a worker...a farmhand or a housemaid... rather than a child to love. ORPHAN TRAIN by Christina Baker Kline is a good piece of historical fiction...it opens your eyes and tugs on your heart.
Weaving together the story of two abandoned children, one from the past and one from the present, this book explores the depths of emotion that children experience and the devastating consequences of abandonment, without dwelling on them. 
While the details of their paths differ and their lives seem worlds apart, the two main characters, Molly (age 17) and Vivian (age 91,) have much in common. Molly is an at-risk foster teen who has narrowly escaped a stint in a juvenile detention facility for stealing a library book. She's living with foster parents who've had enough of her...yet another family wanting her to pack her bags! Enter Vivian, the rich widow who lives alone in a waterfront mansion with too many unused rooms and a cluttered attic that needs cleaning out and organizing. Molly's boyfriend (whose Mom works for Vivian as her housekeeper,) arranges for her to work out her community service hours (instead of going to "juvie,") by helping Vivian organize her attic. As Molly and Vivian sort through boxes of Vivian's history, the heart of the story unfolds. They learn they have a great deal in common, form an unlikely friendship and together, learn the meaning of family.

The drawing above was published in one of the magazines circulating during the time of these Orphan Trains. It's a heartbreaking as well as  interesting part of our American history that's largely unfamiliar. (That's one of the advantages of Google... a great research tool.) 
I highly recommend this book as one of historical as well as heart value.

Hope to see you soon...for my next posting.
Stay warm...
Big Hugs,
abbyj