"The Home for Unwanted Girls"

One Book One Community

It's time for One Book One Community again!

  This is the 18th book that has been chosen for the community to read.  The author will be visiting our region.  
  I have always loved the idea, and I wait anxiously for the title to be announced every spring.  But I still insist that the first book that was chosen was the best: "No Great Mischief".  I loved it and remember it well.
   This year's book is "The Home for Unwanted Girls" by Joanna Goodman.

   This novel is based on the life of the author's mother.  The first half of the book is extremely sad, because the protagonist, Maggie, at 15, was forced to give up her baby.  And the baby went to an orphanage which changed into a mental hospital.  The government of Quebec was giving more money for mental hospitals than orphanages.  

  When the change happened, the children were not schooled and were treated abusively. The hospital lied in order to make sure that parents could not find their children. At this point, I was ready to quit the novel.  It was too heart-breaking!  But I did persevere and the second half made it worthwhile.

  There are many important facts about the Quebec government in the 1950's and the split between the French and the English.

   The themes of family and forgiveness are strong.  It will make a good discussion for our library book club.