For the most part, the book was well liked by everyone. Finding out that actual Orphan Trains ran from New York to the mid west from the late 1800's to the mid 1930s, was a shocking revelation for all of us. Just like in this story, children had been housed in Orphanages before being put on trains and shipped out west. I'm sure our Government had good intentions in this process, however, what many of the children experienced instead of loving homes was abuse of all kinds, neglect, and most of the older children were adopted to be used purely as laborers. That was the harsh reality of the Orphan Trains. For those of us that read the book, the pictures of the children in the back of the book of were painfully touching.
Vivian's story was most compelling to us. We loved the historical aspect of it, and just loved her character. We were so pained by all of her bad experiences but also loved all the characters that truly cared for her along the way and helped her. Most of us were less attracted to Molly, and as is very typical of us, did not buy into most of the dialog that she and her boyfriend Jack had. We felt they came across as being too mature. However, we did discuss that because she was in the foster care system, it was possible she could be more mature than most girls her age, just by having to live the life experiences that she had been through. In the end though, we really loved the bond that developed between Molly and Vivian, and that their relationship was so good for Molly. After all the years she spent bouncing around from foster family to foster family, she finally had someone in her life she could relate to. Also, being able to help Vivian, not only reorganize the attic, but help find her daughter, really gave Molly a sense of purpose in her life.
However, the main issue that we had with the book was that it was just too short and we felt rather short changed when it came to Vivian's story. Most of us wished the author would have elaborated on her life after she married her second husband. Pat, however, wanted the story to be developed between Vivian and her daughter, once they were reunited. So, we all agree this story could have been better developed. It started out really strong and then the second half seemed very rushed. Only one us didn't care for the book at all. She felt like all the characters were very "stereotypical" in that the good characters were really good and the bad characters were really bad and that Molly wasn't believable at all. It all seemed very "sophomoric" to her. This is, however, exactly why we love book club! Every book we read has a different effect on each of us. Our ratings averaged out to be 3.71
After our discussion, a representative from Adoption Options, Courtney-Empson-Whaley, came to talk to us about the current foster care system. We all wanted it to be leaps and bounds better than it was back at the turn of the century, however that isn't really the case. Obviously, both terms "orphan" and "orphanage" are no longer used today. However, there are still thousands of foster care children out there needing to be adopted and whose personal stories are so very sad. Even more disturbing, there are also children that are so emotionally damaged, that they pose a threat to others, or themselves. These kids are housed in a facility, or group homes, and will never be adopted and, upon reaching adulthood, will then be housed in an adult facility. That's the bad news. The good news is that there are many families out there looking to adopt, not just babies, but older children as well, that have been in the system for many years. Adoption Options has many success stories and it's an organization that seems to work tirelessly in aiding in the care and adoption of so many children in need. These people are truly Super Heroes! It was tremendously educational for all of us and left us all pondering whether or not we would have a role to play in the future with this organization. I do NOT mean that we are all running down town tomorrow and adopting a child! However, the needs of this organization are many: volunteer hours, money, supplies, etc. Also, we are NOT participating in anything as a group. This is a very personal choice and decision. We asked for the presentation purely to become more educated and informed on a subject we know very little about. However, for those of you who would like to pursue any aspect of this further, the number is 303-695-1601. Also, Courtney gave me the name of a website related to Adoption Options, but I could not get it to come up. I have not been able to get in touch with her, but will continue to try so I can get that information to everyone. Lastly, Courtney recommended a book that was written by a woman who was raised in the foster care system. Her name is Ashley Rhodes-Courtier and the book is Three Little Words. I can tell it's a heartbreaking story, but the reviews are really good. Just something to think about.
Thanks for your time and have an awesome week,
Kellie
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