In this stunning new historical novel inspired by true events, Kim van Alkemade tells the fascinating story of a woman who must choose between revenge and mercy when she encounters the doctor who subjected her to dangerous medical experiments in a New York City Jewish orphanage years before.
In 1919, Rachel Rabinowitz is a vivacious four-year-old living with her family in a crowded tenement on … tenement on New York City’s Lower Eastside. When tragedy strikes, Rachel is separated from her brother Sam and sent to a Jewish orphanage where Dr. Mildred Solomon is conducting medical research. Subjected to X-ray treatments that leave her disfigured, Rachel suffers years of cruel harassment from the other orphans. But when she turns fifteen, she runs away to Colorado hoping to find the brother she lost and discovers a family she never knew she had.
Though Rachel believes she’s shut out her painful childhood memories, years later she is confronted with her dark past when she becomes a nurse at Manhattan’s Old Hebrews Home and her patient is none other than the elderly, cancer-stricken Dr. Solomon. Rachel becomes obsessed with making Dr. Solomon acknowledge, and pay for, her wrongdoing. But each passing hour Rachel spends with the old doctor reveal to Rachel the complexities of her own nature. She realizes that a person’s fate—to be one who inflicts harm or one who heals—is not always set in stone.
Lush in historical detail, rich in atmosphere and based on true events, Orphan #8 is a powerful, affecting novel of the unexpected choices we are compelled to make that can shape our destinies.
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This historical fiction of significant worth. The story of orphan #8 gives a clear view of what can happen with the best of intentions and in one of the best institutions of those times. Experimenting on orphaned children seems horrible to us in this day and age only because we read or heard about it in Nazi concentration camps. This was not a Nazi camp, which makes it all the more horrific.
Thought provoking, intense read.
Interesting book about realistic situations that happened in history that many people are unaware of. Chose it for our neighborhood book club.
Was not what I thought it was. I was disappointed in it did not like the ending
Great book!
I have rated this book with a full 5 stars, mainly because it is so well written. I don’t like reading love scenes, and that is my only complaint. I’m not fond of sexual scenes, and certainly not a fan of reading sexual scenes that are same sex. But the story is amazing, the writing well thought out. Definitely recommend.
Based on true events, I could not put the book down. It’s scary that these events really happened to kids..
A good easy read!
Interesting and kept me involved
I loved reading this book and I would recommend it to all my friends.
Fabulous book- could not put it down.
Although fictional, the book highlighted the treatment of Jewish orphans. I became engaged with the main character.
This book contains seems that not all readers will be comfortable with.
The overall premise regarding experimentation on people unable to provide informed consent is unusual. Looking back to medical studies prior to 1950, a large percentage were conducted on patients in state hospitals and other facilities without meaningful consent. This story dramatizes the ethical concerns. The character of the doctor also raises the challenges of women first entering male dominated careers which adds depth to the mad scientist image. The ethically and emotionally superior gay love interest is becoming rather predictable in recent novels, which detracts from the romantic interest.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD BOOK
Well told story.
Sad story but knowing that this went on during my generation is scary and haunting at the same time. Well-written.
This book made me cry so hard. There is a line in forest Gump. It says, ” sometime’s there just aren’t enough rocks. ” . True here.
The first half was so emotional, I needed to go slow to take it all in. The second half was full of surprises page turning twists. Loved this one!
I enjoyed this book ,it’s fiction and it is about conditions that really existed.