The Great Arizona Orphan Abduction - Linda Gordon

A story tied to the orphan trains of the early 1900s, this book revealed to me a slice of Arizona history I'd never known.  A group of Irish orphans from New York were taken by Catholic nuns to pre-chosen adoptive parents in Morenci and Clifton.  The towns were Arizona copper mine centers.  The children were to be adopted by Mexican families arranged by the local Catholic French priest.  When they arrived, the white locals kidnapped them, objecting to their placement with Mexican families. The resulting dispute between the kidnappers and the Catholic guardians went to the US Supreme Court.

This is a dense volume of historical accuracy with many details of the people, copper mining industry, Arizona territory settlement and the prejudices of the 1900s.  For those who have lived in Arizona, there are many familiar names that will resonate.  

Quotes/Notes:

p. 16 after 1880 the Catholic church had a faction with assimilationist tendency that promoted Catholic expansion westward

"Nortenos" were Northern Mexicans and they were anti-clerical 

p. 99 - "Race is a pigment of the imagination" - sociologist Ruben Rumbaut

p. 207-list of names of families and the children they adopted [saved image]

p. 257 - Vigilantism 

p. 284 - William Henry Brophy, mgr of the Phelps Dodge company store in Bisbee -founded Brophy Prep

[note: I gave book to speaker at WVGS conference in 2024]

Published: 1999  Read: 2023  Genre: History

The Woman They Could Not Silence - Kate Moore

 Sub-title: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear 

This is a true story about Elizabeth Packard, a wife and mother of six, sent to an insane asylum by her husband and confined for over a year because she was troublesome and disagreed with him.  She became a crusader for the rights of the mentally ill and married women - who at the time in the 1860s surrendered all their rights to their husbands.  

I'd read the author's other true story novel, The Radium Girls, several years ago and enjoyed her thorough research threaded with a strong narrative. In this book, she again uses direct quotes and source material from Elizabeth's secret journal and other publications. I must admit, I stayed up very late to finish this novel in one night! 

 It was horrific to read of the ordeal Elizabeth endured that failed to suppress her strong will and keen intellect, despite trickery and deceit by the head of the institution and her spouse. I think this one goes to the top of my favorites for 2023 reads.

Published: 2021  Read: April 2023   Genre: History, Women Studies

Boulder - Eva Baltasar

 A quick read about a couple where one decides to have a baby and the other reluctantly goes along. It examines choosing a relationship vs being true to yourself. 

Published: 2023. Read: April 2023. Genre: Fiction