What was orphan train

At its reunion in San Diego, a Tribune reporter encountered Williams and other veterans of the orphan trains. In , the New York Juvenile Asylum distributed flyers announcing that it was bringing a group of children, ranging from 7 to 15 years old, to Rockford on Sept.

She had no fond memories of the Nebraska farmers who chose her. As a 6-year-old, she was set to washing dishes for the whole family by a foster mother who she said never gave her even a glass of milk.

Helen Macior came to Chicago from New York at the age of 3 on an orphan train. She was taken in by a Northwest Side family under an indenture agreement that obligated her to be obedient.

She grew up and established an insurance agency that she passed on to her two daughters, as they told the Tribune when Macior died at the age of Charles Loring Brace loved that kind of success story. He conceived of the orphan trains as a win-win for the children and their foster families. So if slum children lacked work and farmers lacked workers, the economic solution was simple: Transport idle young people to the countryside.

Brace dispatched his first orphan train to Dowagiac, Mich. Other charitable agencies followed suit, first in New York and then in other cities.

My thoughts: In child welfare, we should never rest on the laurels of our success stories, we should chastise ourselves for our failures. Molly and Vivian have both been failed by the system. A very unlikely friendship arises out of a need.

In , 17yo Molly needs to do fifty hours community service and 91yo Vivian need someone to help organise her attic. As they sort through the attic, Molly begins taping the story of Vivian's portage what she carried with her for a school assignment.

Different items signify certain people and events in Vivian's long and interesting life. Taken to a Children's Aid Society orphanage, she soon finds herself boarded on an orphan train bound for Minnesota where prospective 'parents' will choose a child they want.

After two less than advantageous placements , Vivian's luck changes and a happy life finally begins for her. But, as Molly will learn, it is still not all plain sailing for Vivian. Penobscot Indian Molly's story begins in a father deceased, mother a drug addict, she's been in more foster homes than you can poke a stick at, countless schools where she never fits in and she's developed a tough Goth exterior in order to survive.

A theft sees her with the choice of either juvie or community service. She meets Vivian through her boyfriend and this very unlikely friendship follows. As Molly discovers, she and Vivian have more in common than she would have ever thought and they can both provide something very special for each other. People need to tell their stories; it is often a matter of waiting for the right audience. The Children's Aid Society, to me, is a misnomer; I wonder how many of these children actually had advantageous placements.

The Society may have had the best of intentions but the children may have lost more than they gained in this venture. Prospective parents checked their eyes, limbs, inside their mouths; sounds more like they are inspecting cattle rather than children.

Kline alternately weaves two not dissimilar stories together very competently. She is not overly emotive in language, rather leaving the story itself to draw the emotion from you. And, dare I say, it would be only a very cold person who is not affected by this story. Strangely, considering the subject, it is not a depressing novel; moreover, it's about tenacity, it is about people hanging on to hope when hope is the only thing they have left, it is one of inspiring and lasting friendships.

Kline is brilliant in that she doesn't just tell a story sourced from historical fact; she provides you with the fact in her eight pages of not in the least bit boring Acknowledgements complete with photographs. I commend her for bringing history to our notice. You know, the elderly have the most wonderful stories to tell, if only we would take the time to listen.

This is a novel I would not hesitate to recommend to all readers. View all 26 comments. Sep 17, Jules rated it it was ok. Like many other readers, I thought the book had potential with a very interesting subject orphan trains , but the writing was amateurish, with incredibly stereotypical characters, a predictable plot and way too much sentimentality. I doubted throughout the book that the author had any firsthand experience with I was going to say this book reads like a YA novel, but then I realized that is an insult to some really well-written YA novels The Giver, To Kill a Mockingbird, Flowers for Algernon I doubted throughout the book that the author had any firsthand experience with orphans, Native Americans or the modern day foster care system.

If she does, it did not come through in her writing. The plot lines wrapped up so neatly that I thought I was watching a Hallmark Channel movie for a minute. On the plus side, I commend the author for choosing a subject that is not well known to many people. I live in Minnesota, where many of the orphans in the book found homes after leaving the train, and I was not familiar with this history at all. View all 11 comments. I leave four children I could not help and did not love.

I leave a place of degradation and squalor, the likes of which I will never experience again. And I leave any last shred of my childhood on the rough planks of that living room floor. Historical fiction has never been a genre I usually read, but its books like this one that make me want to change that.

The Orphan Train Movement was a regulated government assistance program that shipped stranded and homeless children from swarmed I leave four children I could not help and did not love. The Orphan Train Movement was a regulated government assistance program that shipped stranded and homeless children from swarmed Eastern urban communities of the United States to cultivate homes found to a great extent in rustic regions of the Midwest.

The vagrant trains worked somewhere in the range of and , migrating around , stranded and destitute children. The establishments were upheld by well off benefactors and worked by proficient staff. The three foundations built up a program that set homeless, oprhaned, and abandoned city kids, who numbered an expected 30, in New York City alone during the s, in encourage homes all through the nation.

The children were moved to their new homes on trains that were marked "vagrant trains" or "child trains". This movement finished during the s with the start of foster child care in America. Time constricts and flattens, you know. Certain moments linger in the mind and others disappear.

The beauty of historical fiction is the ability it has to make you aware of some point in history that you may not be aware about. The only other historical fiction book I've read that opened my eyes to a new point in history I didn't know about was The Girl They Left Behind : As many as , Jews were massacred in Romanian-controlled territories between October until the end of World War II.

During the Bucharest Pogrom, thousands of Jews were dragged into the streets and were tortured and killed. Christina Baker Kline notes that the breadth and scope of the orphan train movement transported a reported two hundred and fifty thousand children from the East Coast to the Midwest between and Majority of these kids were Irish and Catholic who were orphaned and either placed in the hands of a caring and loving family, or placed in the hands of a family who forced them to do hard labour work.

The latter applies to Vivian, a year-old, who is the narrator of her story as she tells it to Molly, a troubled teen who needs to complete 50 hours of community service due to being caught for stealing a book from the library. Molly, with the help of her boyfriend, agrees to help Vivian clean her attic to get her hours completed instead of going to juvie, and as the two begin looking through Vivian's memories and collections, Vivian's story as an orphan girl and as an orphan train child begins to unfold, starting from when she was in Ireland with her family, up to when the immigrated to New York City, to when Vivian was first handed to her first family, then her second, and finally, her third.

Throughout the novel, we see how much Vivian has suffered and gone through, how she was taken as a worker and laborer without being given the proper treatment a child needs, and it's heartbreaking. I'm kind of on the minority here.

Although this is a best seller, I've seen enough reviews stating how they were uninterested in the shifting pov's, and how Molly's character arc was not developed, or how the reader was unable to become invested in the story and characters, but I was thoroughly invested in the story, Vivian, and Molly. Molly, in particular, stole my heart from the very beginning. She was feared and seen as weird because of how she dressed and acted.

She was the type of person I wish I was friends with during high school. Although we don't know how much she has gone through, there is enough detail about her to get an idea. She's been from one family to another, she's been slapped, malnourished, mistreated, and many more, and it gives the reader the idea of how much she has actually suffered even without providing too much detail.

I felt bad for Molly, not just because of her foster family situation but because of how she was seen. Her mixed Native American background was not throughly discussed in detail, but clearly it was part of her. She had no one but her dad to rely on for understanding her Indigenous side, and it clearly made a negative impact when he died and left her with only her mother. Her mother then becomes addicted and abusive, ending up in jail.

Molly deserved so much better, and I was glad for how she finally stood up for herself during situations that enraged her. In Mr. In it she sits ramrod straight, wearing a beaded, peaked headdress and two large silver brooches around her neck. Her face is dark and wrinkled and her expression is fierce. Orphan Train is mostly about Vivian, and although she doesn't narrate the entire story to us only begins to do so when she tells Molly about it for her paper , it is a heartbreaking story.

I cried, I gagged, I smiled, and I laughed. I was really interested in hearing and learning about Vivian's story, and in my opinion, Christina delivered it in a very efficient way. There was so much that happened to Vivian that broke my heart. She's poor in Ireland with her family, unable to care for herself and help her mother with her baby sister. They migrate to the US, get to New York, and three days later, her family dies in a fire.

She's then placed in the Children's Aid Society with other kids who are also poor, have been abandoned, have been abused, or are homeless. She meets new people, cares for new kids, and becomes a part of three different families. I wished for Vivian to finally get into the hands of a loving family, and I wished for the time she would finally be able to sleep without fearing who was watching her, eat without having restrictions, sleep without having to ask, and live freely without worrying.

While I knew something good would finally come into place, I was always rooting for her. One of the best things about this novel is that it is so natural to follow, and how fast it felt now and again. Christina was very descriptive, allowing me to imagine the story as I read, and that is always something I appreciate. She gives endless insights concerning the characters and the spots that I had the option to envision the story in my mind.

The story is also quick to breeze through, since the writing is easy to follow, which made the story a page-turner. Since I was really curious to continue learning more about Vivian and seeing what would happen next, there wasn't a point of boredom in this story. More or so, it was a very captivating one, and I'm really curious and eager to read Kline's other works. One of the other things that added to the emotions of this story was the prejudice against the Irish immigrants.

Admittedly, I didn't know much about the Irish and their history. I learned a little about them during my second semester of my first year of college, specifically about the times many of them migrated to the US. In Orphan Train , Vivian is seen as inferior for being Irish.

Her red hair, Catholic religion, accent, pale skin, and viewable freckles are what people use against her. When her family left Ireland and arrived in NY, she witnessed her first encounter of ignorance towards her family, and it didn't really stop. It is estimated that from the years to , 4. It is said that the Irish took some of the most risky job positions and were regularly at low pay. They cut waterways. They burrowed channels for water and sewer pipes.

They laid rail lines. They cleaned houses. They slaved in material plants. They functioned as stevedores, stable specialists and metal forgers. I think many people tend to ignore the harsh reality Irish immigrants have faced to get to the US and generally, how much they have suffered. It's a point of history I've become more interested in learning about.

I'm left even more curious now, and even though this is fiction, I felt as if Vivian and Molly were people I met. I became so aware of their story and background that I'm curious to know more about what will happen with the answers they have found. I also do think this book reads more like a young adult than an adult novel, but that didn't bother me at all. All in all, Orphan Train was truly a surprise. I'm no historical fiction reader, but it is something I've become more interested in reading.

This delivered more than I expected, especially in terms of emotions. View all 14 comments. I had heard such wonderful things about this book and have wanted to read it for a long time. Finally, with the decision to push the pause button on so many review copies and float back into reading for pure pleasure, I found the time to work this one in the TBR pile. This is just one of those really awesome stories that weaves historical details within a contemporary setting and enriches the lives of all The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a William Morrow Paperbacks publication.

This is just one of those really awesome stories that weaves historical details within a contemporary setting and enriches the lives of all who read it. While the story is bleak at times, and certainly captures the incredibly hard lives orphans were subjected to in the past, but it also made a nice parallel with how those who wind up in the system today are equally at risk and suffer some of the same prejudices and abuse, being tossed around from place to place, used for labor or for money.

Molly can be petulant and immature, unable to control her words or discipline herself, but also has the courage to stand up for herself and refuse to sacrifice her convictions. I am also grateful the author chose this topic and period in history, informing many of us about the trains, something many, including myself, were unfamiliar with, and how she took such a sad and heartbreaking situation and turned it into the ultimate feel good story.

Jun 17, Hanna Gichard rated it liked it. From what I can tell, this book is not classified primarily as a young adult novel. It definitely should be. The writing style is very simplistic and elementary, which is fine for a YA book. I was just expecting something a little more adult in terms of the writing style. That said, I think the subject of the book is very interesting. The ending was a little too neat and co From what I can tell, this book is not classified primarily as a young adult novel.

The ending was a little too neat and contrived, but I can forgive that because the rest of Vivian's story was so rich and fascinating.

I'm not rating this book higher because of Molly. Her perspecitve seemed completely gutted of any depth. It's pretty clear that the author only intended Molly to be a vehicle for Vivian's story, which is disappointing to me because I think the juxtaposition of Molly's and Vivian's stories would have so much more depth if Molly's character was developed more.

The conflicts she goes through are too hastily resolved and her character development seems to happen out of nowhere. There is a sense of an ending for Vivian's character, but really none for Molly's - not even a hint of what might lie ahead.

Molly's foster parents were unbelievably one-sided characters. Also, the author's attempts to write in Molly's teenage voice frequently came across as awkward - they are written pretty matter-of-factly and then all of a sudden there is random swearing or a makeout scene or her political differences with her stepmom.

I think these things would be more easily reconciled if Molly's character were more fleshed out. All in all, an enjoyable, fast, easy read.

Interesting historical fiction; just fell flat in some places. View all 12 comments. Aug 31, James rated it really liked it Shelves: 1-fiction. It is a beautiful book - everything from the story to the imagery.

Two parallel stories being told about what happens to a young girl when her family life is threatened. The elder, a something year old woman remembering her past. The younger, a teenager doing community service for the 90 year old. They bond. They fight. The stories nearly become one. And perhaps one of them will get to answer the question "who am I, really? And then at the same time, you recognize yourself in parts of their emotions.

About Me For those new to me or my reviews I write A LOT. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note : All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

View all 18 comments. Nov 10, Monika rated it did not like it. With some tweaking and editing, this might be a good young adult book as that's how it reads. I certainly didn't find it an adult book. I was disappointed that more history and information about orphan trains wasn't included. The author did appear to do her research, so I'm not sure why she chose not to include more of it. The book was painfully predictable.

I knew pages beforehand what Groate was going to do. Dina was l With some tweaking and editing, this might be a good young adult book as that's how it reads. Dina was labelled a conservative, and I immediately knew she'd be written as a one-dimensional, stereotypical witch.

My attraction to chick lit fiction is that it hasn't been politicized as everything else has been, until this book. The bit about Vivian on the computer Amazon, Netflix, etc. The texting, the business with the wifi, Twitter, Facebook What bothers me the most, however, is that years ago I recall reading a book that very much follows the lines Vivian's younger life. It was a juvenile fiction book. Those parts were so familiar, so either that goes back to the book's wrenching predictability, or it's highly derivative.

It also ended abruptly. What happened to Molly? There weren't any final thoughts from her to give us any ideas of what direction her life would take. There just isn't much subtlety, maturity or elegance to this book. Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life--answers that will ultimately free them both.

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are. View all 4 comments. Jul 25, Melissa rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-fiction , heartbreaking , I could feel her loneliness seeping off of the pages. She put up a good front, standing strong and sticking to her beliefs, but boy there were times it was tough to watch.

Why is it that the foster mothers were always so mean? First of all - Luke! He was my very favorite part of the story! He added the heart, something I felt was missing and desperately needed to connect more with the story. Vivian was basically a shell of person until he showed up.

After everything she went through - no way! Who would do that? I wish we were left with a little more closure. An epilogue even. It felt too abrupt. View all 20 comments. I really loved this book. I am still wrapping my feeling about this book up because there was so much put into the pages of this book. This book is a historical fiction book about the orphan trains that ran form the east coast cities to the farmlands if the Midwest between to In this book we follow two time lines.

One of the time lines starts one at following young Irish immigrant Vivian, but some of the people that take her in changes her name. The other time line is , a I really loved this book. The other time line is , and we follow Molly where she is during community-service.

Her community-service is to help an elderly widow clean out her attic. During sorting through the items of the attic Molly discovers she and Vivan the elderly widow is not so different. This is a very powerful and moving story, but I have to say at times moving between the two time lines where hard to follow. Overall it was a great story. Oct 09, Candi rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-fiction. You are leaving behind an evil place, full of ignorance, poverty, and vice, for the nobility of country life.

According to the author, between the years and , two-hundred thousand orphaned or abandoned children were transported from the East coast to the Midwest on these so-called orphan trains. They were suppose "They call this an orphan train, children, and you are lucky to be on it. They were supposedly sent there to find loving homes and a sense of security that the system felt would be best for them; but in reality, the outcomes were quite questionable and the futures of these children were very uncertain.

This story is about one of those children, Niamh, as told through the eyes of her older self - Vivian, a name she was given once eventually adopted by a caring couple. Before this adoption, however, Niamh's story was anything but sweet and untroubled.

We learn about her harsh life as the year old Vivian relates the details to a modern day teen and foster home drifter named Molly. Molly has been assigned to community service due to a minor transgression and is given the task of assisting Vivian with cleaning out her attic.

Meanwhile, cheap housing became harder to come by. As a result , tens of thousands of destitute children ended up on the street. Since there was no social safety net, there was no organized way to reach individual children or provide them with welfare or social services.

Brace wanted to change that. They were often arrested for vagrancy or petty theft and thrown into prison along with adults. Brace believed that the city was no place for a desperately poor child, and as the numbers of homeless children began to grow —between 20, and 30, in the s alone—he started acting on that belief.

Brace proposed that orphans and indigent children be sent to families in the West instead of institutionalizing them. When they arrived, the chaperones would take the children to large public gatherings, often advertised with posters, during which potential adoptive parents would select a child or children.

Then, they would go to their new homes with the understanding that they would be expected to work on the farm in exchange for their home. Most parents signed agreements that entitled the children to care, but allowed them to leave the home if circumstances necessitated a break in the adoptive relationship. Not all orphan train riders went to an unknown destination: Some had been pre-placed already and rode the train to a pre-designated home.

The children hold satchels with their belongings as they prepare to travel west. Jacob A. By modern standards, the process of placing children with strangers during what amounted to a mass adoption event would be considered cruel and dangerous.