Hurt and fear, are not things we
want children to experience. We don't expect healthy children to be test
subjects in medical experiments that can physically harm them for life. Kim
Van Alkemade's ORPHAN 8, historical novel, is based on New York
City's Home for Hebrew Infants and the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, where in the
mid-1900's into the 1920's children were used as test subjects for a number of
medically questionable studies. Radiation exposure left some children bald for
life and probably gave them serious physical side effects that may have caused
other issues in later life.
The author's Great-Grandmother
worked at the Asylum and raised (or at least saw) her two sons while she was
employed at the facility. Van Alkemade was fascinated by the stories.
When looking through records of the Home she found reference to buying
wigs for children who'd had x-rays, and thus it became the basis for her novel.
The novel is fascinating for it's
writing and the journey the reader takes with Rachel, the main character
from terrified child to adult. From little Rachel at home to a scared child in
an overwhelming institutional environment, to an adult suddenly faced with the
woman who experimented upon her body.
Now the tables have turned and
Rachel is the medical professional. She has the opportunity as the nurse
assigned to a case to see the physician who scarred her for life - what will
Rachel do to the elderly woman now in her care? The ethics at play are almost
unbearable - the psychological nuance between the two women, one elderly, quite
ill and unrepentant, the other still emotionally fragile from her childhood.
It's a book that is as intriguing as it is readable. Well
written and fascinating, it draws the reader into the shadows of Rachel's
thirst for revenge and her opportunity for forgiveness. How she chooses, and
what she chooses make for a captivating novel. I was pleased to review this
novel thanks to Harper Collins for the free book!
Go to the author's website for more historical information and her bookstore appearances....
