THE BOOK

Author Christina Baker Kline

BOOK CLUB BEAT with Sherry Hemingway

The trunk ’ s contents tell a fictionalized account of the real-life shipment of 200,000 homeless or orphaned children on trains from the East Coast to the Midwest from 1854 to 1929 . Millions of immigrants were cramming into Eastern cities seeking a new life , and finding no work or decent housing . If parents perished in this fragile existence , their orphaned children were separated and , like the story of Vivian Daley , loaded onto trains headed to the country ’ s midlands . The Children ’ s Aid Society believed they were giving these orphans a better chance than they would have in the cities .

At each train stop , children were lined up for inspection by the locals . Babies and strong older boys were the first to be chosen . The youngest were most likely to be adopted into families . Older children typically became forced labor . If a child was not chosen at one stop , he or she was loaded back on the train for the next stop , or the next , until all the orphans were gone . The fate of each orphan was unpredictable in its kindness or cruelty .

As Vivian and Molly sift through the attic trunk , Vivian allows herself to finally talk about her early childhood in Ireland , the tragic loss of her entire family in New York , the journey on the orphan train , her “ adoption ” into a Minnesota sweat shop , and the aftermath of a precarious life . The two clean out the attic , dealing with their similar experiences of loss and abandonment .

The orphan train system was a littleknown piece of American history , until this book hit the bestseller lists and became a staple of book clubs across the country . For 75 years , East Coast cities dealt with their orphan numbers by putting the children on trains . The purpose was to find adoptive parents , but too often , the system provided indentured servants and laborers for the Midwestern farmlands .

Like Vivian , these children suffered separation from siblings , loss of cultural identity , alienation and abuse . It was a stopgap before this country was willing and able to deal with the failings of its social system . Molly ’ s life makes the point that the system still has flaws .

Christina Baker Kline ’ s work puts forth a well-written premise of how even the most tragic of lives can be healed with love , kindness and hope . The book is at once fascinating and jaw-dropping .

FIRST YEAR READS

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty Catfish and Mandala by Andrew X . Pham East of Eden by John Steinbeck Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Spider Woman ’ s Daughter by Anne Hillerman The Martian by Andy Weir The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

It ’ s been just over a year since Morgan Hill book club Novel Evening bonded to go on reading adventures . Members are ( front , l . to r .) Chris Giusiana , Rosy Bergin , Janet Dommer , ( second row ) Georgia Santos , Gina Varela-Domenichini , Patty Sebald , Pat Catanzaro and Sherry Hemingway . Missing is Lisa Bjarke .

SHERRY HEMINGWAY spent her childhood after lights out with a book and flashlight under the covers . With degrees from Kent State University and Harvard University , her lifelong career was in journalism and public relations . Her hobbies are travel in ( very ) remote countries , volunteering , and two book clubs .

GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2016 gmhtoday . com

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