The Land of Forgotten Girls

The Land of Forgotten Girls

Juvenile fiction
"Things I know to be true: Tita Vea married my father so she
could come to the States, and there is nothing magical about that.
And there is nothing magical about Giverny either, even though it's
just outside of New Orleans and people say New Orleans is loud and fun
and vibrant. Giverny must have drained from its gutters."
Soledad, narrator of Erin Entrada Kelly's The Land of Forgotten
Girls, has suffered more loss than many adults. A younger sister died
in an accident she considers her fault. If she had not distracted
their mother, beautiful little Amelia would not have drowned. Not
much later her beloved mother died of cancer. After moving them from
the Philippines to Louisana, her father has abandoned her and her
little sister, Ming, with the woman they consider their evil
stepmother. No one knows when or if he will return.
Soledad and Ming live in a cigarette smelling apartment where
rats run in the walls at night. Vea, resentful of being stuck with
two grieving children, is emotionally and physically abusive. Soledad
desperately wants to save up enough money to run away with Ming to
somewhere better.
But how?
On a personal note, we had our first Wilson Center Program of the
school year. It was great to see people who had been away all
summer. My new friend Sam came like I'd invited him to. After we
feasted on baked potatoes with all kinds of toppings and watermelon we
had a water ceremony.
A great big shout out goes out to my Wilson Center family.
jules hathaway



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