Orphan Memoir

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. Mail-Order Kid looks at the orphan train movement through the eyes of one small child who yearns to know her "real" mother.

In my daughter's senior year...she asked my wife and I to write down our life's story. I said, "...you don't know what you're asking." Year's later...I finished. I consider this a time capsule for the kid's kids. I may have to quit my job because I'll be so embarrassed. I wanted to jack the price up so my coworkers wouldn't buy it...but I won't. This is not very well-written, and it's boring...but it's my story up until I got married. I wrote it how I talk because I was talking to my daughter when I wrote it. If you can stand poorly written, boring books...then this is the one for you.

After being orphaned not once, but twice, raised by nuns, foster parents, and passed between the homes of his grandmother and father, Jim Fiume learned how to survive and thrive after being tossed aside. His experiences led him to where he is now and helped give him wisdom that can only be gained from the university of the streets.

The Galveston Orphans Home of Texas has been a fixture of the historic city for over a hundred years. Surviving the great storm of 1900 and giving children a place to call home, there are countless stories about the house’s rich history.