Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: If You Like 'Orphan Train,' You May Also Like...

Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

Already read Orphan Train and are looking for read-alike titles? Check out these suggestions from NoveList, our reader's advisory database:

The Cider House Rules by John Irving
The practices of Dr. Wilbur Larch--obstetrician, orphanage director, ether addict, and abortionist--are hindered, abetted, and continued, in turn, by his favorite orphan, Homer Wells.

The Forgotten Seamstress by Liz Trenow

Interweaves the story of Maria, a seamstress in the royal household of Buckingham Palace, and Caroline Meadows who discovers a beautiful quilt in her mother's attic.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The story of a woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own past.

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda

If You Like 'Orphan Train,' You May Also Like...

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