Publication Date: August 3, 2013
CreateSpace
Paperback; 280p
ISBN-10: 1491039248
Raised on a farm outside of West Chester County, Tabitha Salt, the daughter of Irish immigrants, leads a sheltered existence. When tragedy strikes the family, the ten year old and her mother are forced to move to the notorious Five Points District in New York City. Known for its brothels, gangs, gambling halls, corrupt politicians, and thieves, the Five Points is a chaotic slum. The women find work as laundresses, struggling every day to survive in their squalid living conditions.
When tragedy strikes again, Tabitha finds herself on the streets of New York City, alone. Summoning her courage and willing her legs that are numb with fear and grief to move, she takes to a life on the streets. Stealing food and running from the law, Tabitha dreams of the future.
During this time the Sisters of Charity were plucking orphans off the streets with promises of a new life. Children were told to forget their pasts, including their religious beliefs, families, and names. They were to become Christian and were given new identities, only then could they board the orphan trains. The orphan trains carried the destitute children out west in search of new homes. Siblings were often ripped apart and many didn’t find homes but became indentured workers in exchange for room and board.
The looming decision would alter her life course; boarding the train meant leaving everything and everyone she knew behind. Vulnerable and afraid she made her decision.
The story is a true to life chronicle reflecting the saga of hundreds of thousands of homeless or neglected children who were placed on orphan trains from 1854 to 1929. The orphan train movement led to numerous reforms having to do with welfare and child labor laws. Many people believe it is the origin of modern foster care.
About the Author
Julie Dewey is a novelist who resides with her family in Central New York. Her daughter is a singer/songwriter, and her son is a boxer. Her husband is an all-around hard working, fantastic guy with gorgeous blue eyes that had her falling for him the moment they met.
In addition to researching and writing she is an avid reader. She is also passionate about jewelry design and gemstones. She loves anything creative, whether it be knitting, stamping, scrapping, decoupaging, working with metal, or decorating.
Visit her at www.juliedewey.com to get your reading guide for this book and to read an excerpt from One Thousand Porches, her second novel. You can also find her on Facebook.
Link to Tour Schedule: http://hfvirtualbooktours.com/forgettingtabithatour
Twitter Hashtag: #ForgettingTabithaTour
"The Orphan Train Movement was a welfare program that transported children from crowded cities of the United States, such as New York City and Boston, to willing foster homes across the country. The orphan trains ran between 1853 and 1929, relocating an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children. At the time the orphan train movement began, reformers estimated that 30,000 vagrant children were living on the streets of New York City."...WIKI
The Orphan Train is the premise of Forgetting Tabitha by Julie Dewey. The main character, Tabitha Salt comes from poor but loving parents, but when her father dies in an accident, Tabitha and her mother are forced to sell the farm and move to New York City. They relocate to The Five Points in New York, which is a neighborhood in Manhattan that is home to slums and gangs. Tabitha and her mother earn their living as laundresses, but soon Tabitha's mother gets sick and dies. This leaves Tabitha an orphan. She finds her way to a nun who helps children get adopted on the orphan trains. Thus begins Tabitha's (her name gets changed to Mary) journey on the orphan train. This book tells of a depressing time in our history that allowed children to be homeless, maybe getting adopted or farmed out to be someones servant. At times a heartbreaking story but at the same time inspirational in that a lot of the children were adopted out. I knew the term 'the boxcar children' but did not know a lot about the orphan trains. Definitely an eye opening read. There were some grammatical errors but all in all a wonderful read about the determination of one young girl to overcome unbeatable odds. A must read!!
I received a copy for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
No comments:
Post a Comment