The book is based on the sad history of thousands of poverty stricken children transported from England to Canada over a 70 year period to start a supposedly better life. What transpired was anything but. These poor children (who were not all orphans but children whose parents could not keep them due to their financial situation) essentially became indentured servants “sold” mostly to poor farmers seeking cheap labor.
The Forgotten Home Child is about Winny and her friends Mary, Jack, Cecil and Edward. Their experiences as Home Children in Canada varied from hard to inhumane. This touching book alternates between the past and present day when Winny, now 97 years old, finally reveals her past to her family after being ashamed of her background as one of the British Home Children. We learn about the horrors all the children experienced and how life progressed for them.
Books of this kind are hard to read but interesting, moving and valuable as it educates us to often unknown parts of history which happened not so long ago. The author, in her ending Note To Readers, lets us know that thanks to the popularity of genealogy, it is now known that approximately 12 percent of Canada’s population (more than four million people) are descended from British Home Children. Astounding!
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
Historical Fiction.
Published on March 3, 2020.
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