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Mail-Order Kid: An Orphan Train Rider's Story
- Narrated by: Marie Hoffman
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
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Publisher's summary
The massive orphan train exodus whisked three-year-old Teresa from the safety of her New York orphanage, where the worst thing the Foundling nuns did was wash her curly black hair, to a desolate house and cold-hearted "parents" in Kansas. There, she entered a small and strange Volga German world whose inhabitants spoke a language she had never heard. In this odd world, she encountered whippings and sexual abuse.
Perhaps half a million children, like Teresa, were plucked from orphanages and shipped by rail (or "relocated") to nearly every state in the Union from 1854 to 1929. Mail-Order Kid looks at the orphan train movement through the eyes of one small child who yearns to know her "real" mother, survives a tortured childhood, and ultimately, as an adult, comes to terms with her past, her faith, and herself.
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Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections)
- By: Edited by David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Mary-Louise Parker, Cherry Jones
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules is a collection of short stories, some classic, others impending, selected and introduced by David Sedaris.
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Great stories but only 5 of 17 are included
- By Terri Kirk on 07-13-12
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Out of the Darkness
- The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson
- By: Eric A. Shelman
- Narrated by: Deb Thomas
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In New York City, in April of 1874, a most unusual event took place. A severely abused nine-year-old girl named Mary Ellen Wilson became the first child in America to be rescued from an abusive home. She had been beaten, burned, slashed with scissors, locked in a closet, and had never been outside of her tenement home in over 7 years. Thanks to the concern and dedication of a missionary named Etta Wheeler, the child was finally saved from her cruel captors.
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Harrowing Story
- By musa on 03-21-17
By: Eric A. Shelman
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
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Rare 5-Star Across the Board!
- By Imamomof4 on 06-14-15
By: Susan Meissner
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Courage to Run: A Story Based on the Life of Young Harriet Tubman
- Daughters of the Faith Series
- By: Wendy Lawton
- Narrated by: Shilynne Cole
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Harriet Tubman was born a slave on a Maryland plantation in the 1800s. She trusts in God, but her faith is tested at every turn. Should she obey her masters or listen to her conscience? This story from Harriet's childhood is a record of courage. Even more, it's the story of God's faithfulness as He prepares her for her adult calling to lead more than 300 people out of slavery through the Underground Railroad.
By: Wendy Lawton
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Maude
- By: Donna Mabry
- Narrated by: Shana Gagnon
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1906 I was barely over 14 years old, and it was my wedding day. My older sister, Helen, came to my room, took me by the hand, and sat me down on the bed. She said, "You've always been a good girl, Maude, and done what I told you. Now you're going to be a married woman, and he will be the head of the house. When you go home tonight after your party, no matter what he wants to do to you, you have to let him do it. Do you understand?"
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Narration made listening almost unbearable
- By Sandra on 01-07-16
By: Donna Mabry
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Before We Visit the Goddess
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan, Priya Ayyar, Vikas Adam
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The daughter of a poor baker in rural Bengal, India, Sabitri yearns to get an education, but her family's situation means college is an impossible dream. Then an influential woman from Kolkata takes Sabitri under her wing, but her generosity soon proves dangerous after the girl makes a single unforgivable misstep. Years later, Sabitri's own daughter, Bela, haunted by her mother's choices, flees abroad with her political refugee lover - but the America she finds is vastly different from the country she'd imagined.
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Absolutely Worth a Credit
- By Texastanya on 08-27-16
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One Amazing Thing
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Purva Bedi, Soneela Nankani, Neil Shah
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Winner of a Pushcart Prize for poetry and an American Book Award for her short stories, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni explores themes of women, immigration, and her vibrant Indian culture to great effect. Divakaruni expands on these ideas in One Amazing Thing, a project long in the making and full of electric prose.
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An ok way to kill some time
- By R.Reader on 11-07-12
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Grand Central
- Original Stories of Postwar Love and Reunion
- By: Melanie Benjamin, Amanda Hodgkinson, Pam Jenoff, and others
- Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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On any particular day, thousands upon thousands of people pass through New York City's Grand Central Terminal, through the whispering gallery, beneath the ceiling of stars, and past the information booth and its beckoning four-faced clock, to whatever destination is calling them. It is a place where people come to say hello and good-bye. And each person has a story to tell.
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Grand Central: Memories
- By ZacharyKindle Customer on 05-03-17
By: Melanie Benjamin, and others
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Bettyville
- By: George Hodgman
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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When George Hodgman leaves Manhattan for his hometown of Paris, Missouri, he finds himself - an unlikely caretaker and near-lethal cook - in a head-on collision with his aging mother, Betty, a woman of wit and will. Will George lure her into assisted living? When hell freezes over. He can't bring himself to force her from the home both treasure - the place where his father's voice lingers, the scene of shared jokes, skirmishes, and, behind the dusty antiques, a rarely acknowledged conflict...
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Title Should Be Georgeville-It's All About George
- By Sara on 10-08-15
By: George Hodgman
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Peyton Place
- By: Grace Metalious
- Narrated by: Tim O'Connor
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1956, when this novel was first published, communities all over New England snapped up copies to see if they were the town portrayed in the book. Peyton Place is the story of a repressive New England town known for its high standards of public morality, and the steamy sexual activities that take place behind its bedroom doors.
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Best book I've read to date!
- By Crusader on 11-07-11
By: Grace Metalious
What listeners say about Mail-Order Kid: An Orphan Train Rider's Story
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- HistoryBuff
- 03-24-18
Too Much Detail
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this story to friends who love history, especially the history of immigrants or of the settling of the old west. It's also a good story for those who are interested in the history of fostering and adoption rights in the United States.
Unlike most orphan train stories, this story goes way past the train ride and the resettlement in a new home. This story tells the entire life story of one of the children who rode on the orphan train as a young girl and how being an orphan framed her idea of herself for the rest of her life.
The story was good, but it was bogged down with too much detail. We didn't need to know the details of every menial task that the orphan Teresa took on as a teenager or in her early adult years. We did not need to know the address of every home she lived in, or her exact reason for quitting every job. I wish there had been less of that.
On the other hand, Teresa's placement in her home with Volga German parents came to an abrupt end with no explanation. I would have liked to know more of how it came to an end and why. How did the Foundling realize that the placement was not a good setting for Teresa, and how did they get her out of it?
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
The early part of the book was the best part, and the sections at the end that dealt with Teresa's discovery of her roots was fascinating. In between was a lot of tedium, and I would have been happy to skip over some of that.
Any additional comments?
This book was given to me at my request and I am leaving a voluntary review.
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- Tom Anderson
- 03-25-18
A Sad Chapter in American History
The Orphan Train movement is one of those sad chapters in American history that few people know about let alone understand. The impact of forcibly removing upwards of a half million orphaned children from the East Coast to the four corners of America should bear heavy on the American conscious. Yet, mention “orphan train” to nearly anyone and you’ll get a blank stare.
The best way to understand the movement is to look at it through the eyes and life of one of its “victims” and that is exactly what “Mail Order Kid” does. I am not one to do plot reviews and analysis of audiobooks. What I can tell you is if you have never heard of this movement you need to listen to this book. Much like slavery, the orphan train movement is another shining example of well-intention ideas in their times that we are now unequivocally ashamed of.
Better yourself and listen to “Mail Order Kid”.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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- Deedra
- 04-16-18
Mail order kid
This was a fascinating look into the life of one child that was placed into a home by the Orphan Train.She has many issues finding her place.It is sad yet happy in spots.“I was given this free review copy audiobook and have voluntarily left this review." Marie Hoffman was a fine narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Claire
- 03-31-18
Heartbreaking and triumphant
I had never heard of mail-order children before coming across this book and my first thoughts were along the lines of child trafficking, but the blurb made me curious so I had to listen to it, I'm so glad I did.
The book is beautifully written and it makes the story of Teresa come alive, and it's a story that needs to be remembered, along with the stories of the other children who were moved across America separating them from everything they had known.
Teresa's story is heartbreaking because the home she went to was not a loving one and her early life is not one that you would want for any child and yet she was able to make a good life for herself, she became very successful and she was vocal in talking about what happened to her, making sure no one could ignore what had happened, she became an inspiration to many.
Heartbreaking, triumphant, and inspiring, this true story is not to be missed.
The narration is spot on, making Teresa's life come alive. The character voices are excellent and the delivery took me on an emotional journey.
I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher and I voluntarily wrote this honest review.
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- cosmitron
- 03-14-18
Orphan train deserves a better story
Would you try another book from Marilyn June Coffey and/or Marie Hoffman?
No I found the story and narrator boring.
Would you recommend Mail-Order Kid: An Orphan Train Rider's Story to your friends? Why or why not?
No Because better books for this important story are available.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Marie Hoffman?
Yes But I did not enjoy her performance.
Was Mail-Order Kid: An Orphan Train Rider's Story worth the listening time?
No but it could help my insomnia.
Any additional comments?
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
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31 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-31-19
Loved it!
Would recommend, a deep read but worth every minute. Historically accurate and deeply moving. Feels like you were there.
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- Jennifer Mulder
- 04-09-18
Great book, too long of an intro
Once you get past the exceedingly long into (i almost turned it off and quit listening since i don't want the intro to tell me everything i am going to be listening to in the story, otherwise why should i listen to the story??????) anyway, once you get past that the story itself is very good and interesting. I had never heard of orphan train riders and i found this very interesting. How many ended up in homes like this one? i am sure there were more than even the "experts" know about. It's a sad day when kids were only placed in homes based on their religion instead of what was the best living situation. All in all it was a good way to help understand a part of history that most of us have never heard of before.
"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
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