Like Family

De: Michele M. Feeney

Narrado por: Allison Wang

Mollie Crowley, a 26-year-old Irish unmarried teacher at a one-room schoolhouse in rural Michigan, and 8-year-old Cecilia Pokorski, a Polish girl orphaned after the deaths of her family during the 1918 influenza pandemic, are an unlikely pair.

While Cecilia is grieving the loss of her beloved Mamusia, Mollie leans on her own mother, Catherine, for assistance after taking the girl into their home. Mollie loves teaching, but Cecilia hated having Mollie as her first teacher.

In their town in rural Michigan, the Irish and the Polish don't mix. The Catholic Church, the town's doctor, and Mollie's older brothers are pitted against Mollie, who is highly independent, even stubborn. Everyone who fears "the sickness" is desperate to stay safe and healthy, and unsure of what precautions work.

Cecilia is treated with suspicion, even fear. Mollie, Cecilia, and Catherine, while isolated on their family farm, face all these struggles with courage and creativity.

Listeners will see challenges they faced during COVID-19 as similar to the ones people faced nearly a hundred years earlier. Like Family explores themes of prejudice related to ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and religion; foster care and adoption; feminism; education and teaching; language and cultural differences; family factions; death and grief; loneliness; and ultimately, the power of love, family (biological and intentional), and community.

©2024 Black Rose Writing (P)2024 Black Rose Writing

Reseñas de la Crítica

“In Like Family, Feeney not only brings us back to the terrifying time when the Spanish flu had its hold on us, but also beautifully explores the meaning of family.” –Ann Hood, author of The Stolen Child

Struggles in the early 1900’s

I loved when Molly took Cecilia in, she started to understand the little girl and how observant and intelligent she really was. The language barrier was the issue with her learning. This is such a heartfelt book, making the reader feel like they were living in the early 1900’s. I need more of Molly’s life and what happens next!

Wonderful story

This story offers insight into how even “good people” can fall prey to feat and bigotry that can easily overshadow their humanity.

A beautiful read

Like Family is a wonderful read/listen. Though it is historical fiction set in a small community in 1918, the stories and characters are easy to relate to, especially in light of the clear parallels between the Spanish Flu and COVID-19. The beauty and the ugliness are instantly recognizable, and the story is engaging, making it easy to root for the strong women characters.