Cover Image

The story of beautiful girl

by Simon, Rachel, 1959-

Format: Print Book 2011
Availability: Available at 9 Libraries 9 of 9 copies

Available (9)
Location Collection Call #
Bethel Park Public Library Fiction FIC SIMON Rachel
Location  Bethel Park Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  FIC SIMON Rachel
 
 
Dormont Public Library Fiction F SIMO
Location  Dormont Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  F SIMO
 
 
Hampton Community Library Fiction F SIMON
Location  Hampton Community Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  F SIMON
 
 
Moon Township Public Library Fiction F SIMON Rachel
Location  Moon Township Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  F SIMON Rachel
 
 
Northern Tier Regional Library Fiction FIC SIMON
Location  Northern Tier Regional Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  FIC SIMON
 
 
Northland Public Library Fiction FIC SIMON
Location  Northland Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  FIC SIMON
 
 
Penn Hills Library Fiction SIMON
Location  Penn Hills Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  SIMON
 
 
Western Allegheny Community Library Fiction Romance F SIMON
Location  Western Allegheny Community Library
 
Collection  Fiction Romance
 
Call Number  F SIMON
 
 
Wilkinsburg Public Library Fiction FIC SIM
Location  Wilkinsburg Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  FIC SIM
 
 

Summary
It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl.

When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "It's a rainy night in 1968, and Lynnie Goldberg and Homan Wilson, escapees from the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, are on the run. They have found refuge at the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. When the authorities find them, Homan escapes into the woods, and Lynnie is recaptured. Although she has not spoken in years, Lynnie manages to whisper into Martha's ear, just before she is led away in a straitjacket, Hide her. Her is the child Lynnie has just given birth to and left in a basket in Martha's attic. What follows is the story of Lynnie and Homan, who, despite great obstacles, spend the next 40 years looking for one another. It is also the story of Martha, who cares for Lynnie's child, and of Kate, a sympathetic social worker who helps Lynnie survive life at the school. This is an eye-opening look at the treatment of disabled individuals in the mid-twentieth century. Institutionalized, mistreated, and forgotten, Lynnie and Homan are two people who manage not only to survive but to set themselves free.--Gladstein, Carol Copyright 2010 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "On a dark night in the late 1960s, Homan, a deaf African-American man, and Lynnie, a young white woman with very little vocal ability, arrive on Martha Zimmer's doorstep during a severe storm. While giving the drenched and mysterious couple food and a change of clothes, Martha learns they also have a newborn baby girl. Moments later, employees from the Pennsylvania State School for the Incurable and Feebleminded arrive to recapture the runaways. Homan is able to escape out the back door, while Lynnie manages just two words to Martha: "Hide her." The next morning, with Homan appearing to have drowned in a flooded river and Lynnie back in the institution, Martha-a childless widow and retired schoolteacher-leaves her home with the infant in tow, determined to keep her promise. Kate Reading's narration is engaging and appropriate. She creates and alternates between different voices for the book's characters in a way that is subtle, effective, and never distracting, which only adds to a masterful book that covers subject matter both appalling and enthralling. A Grand Central hardcover. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects People with disabilities -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Grand Central Pub.,2011
Edition 1st ed.
Language English
Description 346 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN 9780446574464
0446574465
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