by Jean Becker
First published 2006
Jean's world collapses on December 7, 1941, when pneumonia claims her thirty-five-year-old mother. The seven-year-old girl and her three sisters watch their father deliver them to an orphanage with empty promises of return. He never comes back. Jean must navigate the harsh realities of institutional life alongside her sisters, constantly fearing they will be separated and sent to different homes. The daily struggles of orphanage existence weigh heavily on all four girls, yet Jean refuses to surrender her dreams. She yearns for the simple comforts that other children accept without thought. Through years of uncertainty and disappointment, Jean maintains her belief that better days will arrive. Her determination to find joy amid suffering becomes the foundation of her survival. The story follows Jean's journey from devastating loss to the eventual realization of her deepest hopes.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, resilience
Setting: United States
Period: 1940s
204 pages · Paperback · Peppertree Press
Content warnings: child-abuse