Little Helen
This book is a historical fiction that takes place at the ending of World War I. A young girl travels from Czechoslovakia to the United States to be with her parents, who have already made a home in America. It portrays all the grief she encounters while on the boat before reaching her destination. Later, her predicament even worsens as she desperately attempts to make a go of her life in a new and unfamiliar country. She does not speak, read or write English. Her parents, whom she mistakenly believe love her, only desire her services and hard-earned money. She is never able to get an education because her parents move from city to city in the Eastern part of the U.S., escaping eviction. The few times Helen does attend school, the other children poke fun and laugh at her. She goes from job to job, cleaning, scrubbing. washing dishes, preparing food, and bowing and scraping to cruel bosses who use and exploit Little Helen from the Old Country. She is sold to old men twice her age, just so the greedy boss, whom she is employed by at the time, can prosper off of her innocence and youth. She is barely able to make a living for herself and provide funds for her ungrateful parents. Little Helen becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, whom she cherishes with all her heart. As a single mother, she is competent at raising him to be a remarkable young man, who is productive to society and respected by all. The reader will find this book heart rendering and at times very hopeful.
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