The Dust Bowl Orphans
Back in the 1930’s Faith and Hope had just lost their sister to a double snake bite. There is a dust storm blowing in and Faith runs to grab her little sister finding a disused house and cellar to protect them. Before the storm their family was at odds as part felt they should move away as they were living hand to mouth due to the arid conditions. The move like many around them would be to California.
Present day: Zoe is an art curator and has successfully negotiated a display of African- American art much to the chagrin of one of the museum's senior donors. She is thrilled when a semi well known photographer agrees to show some of his pictures as part of the programme. On meeting Zoe he recognises her- but they have never met. What transpires is a voyage of discovery about past lives and their own as well.
I quickly got into this, there is a warmth of character and a mystery feel about it. I also learnt things about the USA: How that even as few as 20 years ago there were covenants on houses in some areas so that only caucasian’s could purchase them-the covenant having been written many years before and unable to be changed. This stopped me in my tracks aghast. (search racial covenants for more information).
I loved this and easily took to both Zoe and Faith- both had a determination and a spirit of tenacity against adversity. I wept at the latter chapters- I won't spoil anything other than to say they were tears of joy and emotion- to me the skill of a brilliant writer. A highly recommended interesting read.
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The dust cloud rolls in from nowhere, stinging our eyes and muddling our senses. I reach for my baby sister and pull her small body close to me. When the sky clears, we are alone on an empty road with no clue which way to go…
Oklahoma, 1935. Fifteen-year-old Faith Wilson takes her little sister Hope’s hand. In worn-down shoes, they walk through the choking heat of the Dust Bowl towards a new life in California. But when a storm blows in, the girls are separated from their parents. How will they survive in a place where just the color of their skin puts them in terrible danger?
Starving and forced to sleep on the streets, Faith thinks a room in a small boarding house will keep her sister safe. But the glare in the landlady’s eye as Faith leaves in search of their parents has her wondering if she’s made a dangerous mistake. Who is this woman, and what does she want with sweet little Hope? Trapped, will the sisters ever find their way back to their family?
California, present day. Reeling from her divorce and grieving the child she lost, Zoe Edwards feels completely alone in the world. Throwing herself into work cataloguing old photos for an exhibition, she sees an image of a teenage girl who looks exactly like her, and a shiver grips her. Could this girl be a long-lost relation, someone to finally explain the holes in Zoe’s family history? Diving into the secrets in her past, Zoe unravels this young girl’s heartbreaking story of bravery and sacrifice. But will anything prepare her for the truth about who she is…?
A devastating, completely captivating story of family torn apart, fighting to be reunited. Fans of Orphan Train, Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing will never forget this powerful story of survival.
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