Raised on a farm, Tabitha Salt, the daughter of Irish immigrants, leads a bucolic and sheltered existence. When tragedy strikes the family, Tabitha and her mother are forced to move to the notorious Five Points District in New York City, known for its brothels, gangs, gambling halls, corrupt politicians and thieves. 
 As they struggle to survive in their new living conditions, tragedy strikes again. Young Tabitha resorts to life alone on the streets of New York, dreaming of a happier future. 
 The Sisters of Charity are taking orphans off the streets with promises of a new life. Children are to forget their pasts, their religious beliefs, families and names. They offer Tabitha a choice: stay in Five Points or board the orphan train and go West in search of a new life. 
 The harrowing journey and the decision to leave everything behind launches Tabitha on a path from which she can never return.

Forgetting Tabitha

Literature & Fiction

Dewey, Julie

United States

Holland Press

Greedy and impatient, tuberculosis, the nineteenth-century plague, relentlessly devoured its victims. With its boneshivering fevers, delirium, and blood-engorged lungs, the  “red death” indiscriminately killed thousands, leaving shattered and defeated families in its wake. Set in the majestic, untamed Adirondack Mountains of New York more than a century ago, an extraordinary story unfolds about the little-known town of Saranac Lake. The town is home to a man with tuberculosis, also known as consumption. It is here that he, Doctor Edward Livingston Trudeau, finds a hopeful cure for the disease that has destroyed so many lives. While Trudeau’s patients vary in age, class, and race, they have one thing in common – all choose to embrace life, even in the face of death. Christine has already lost two children to the dreaded plague. When her daughter, Collette, contracts the disease, she is determined to keep her alive. Venturing into unknown territory, Christine risks her health and marriage to help her daughter seek a cure. When Lena, a factory worker and mother of three, begins coughing up blood, she faces a decision no mother wants to make. She either stays with her family and risks death, or leaves her loved ones while she goes off in hope of a cure. Big Joe, once a strongman for a traveling circus, seeks a quiet place to live out his final days in hiding. A hunted man, Joe is terrified to learn he will be housed with the very people who could identify him. Little Amy, a six-year-old child, must care for her family of seven, all afflicted with different forms of the disease. Once Amy is diagnosed with a very rare form, she is placed under Dr. Trudeau’s care. Alone and afraid, Amy faces her fears and dreams of a future. With a cast of characters so vivid and remarkable, One Thousand Porches is a heart-warming, engaging story that will instill hope and faith in even the most pessimistic reader. Julie Dewey is a novelist residing in Central New York with her

One Thousand Porches

Comics & Graphic Novels

Graphic Novels

A rriving alone at the Willard Insane Asylum is daunting enough, but when you are a fifteen-year-old girl no longer wanted by your family, the implications are devastating. Iona Mueller’s quirk of counting her steps, along with her exploits in the woods, proved to be too much for her parents, particularly her pregnant mother. Yet, it wasn’t until she cut off her own hair that her parents took her to a doctor who declared her insane. Iona knows she isn’t anything like the patients who bang their heads against the cinder walls until they bleed or run naked through the hallways. She must escape before she truly does go mad. The doctor at the asylum believed Iona might benefit from a job. She was assigned to work at the farm that kept the asylum supplied with fresh foods. There, in the stables where she tended the horses, she met James. His kindness made the deprivation and horror of her situation more bearable. It was James who recognized that the violet hollows beneath her eyes, the bruises on her arms, and her apparent unraveling, were the result of being placed in the Second Ward, which was designated for those considered dangerous. Together, they formed a plan, one that would remove Iona from harm’s way permanently, lest she be sent to the mysterious back building, from which no one returned. In present day, Jenna, a young relative of Iona’s, is plagued with mental illness. Jenna’s odd behaviors, bizarre language, and confusion disrupt her once perfectly normal life. Jenna’s family members trace their roots back to Iona in hopes of understanding their predisposition to mental illness. Their journey leads them to an amazing discovery of belongings left behind by hundreds of patients at the Willard Asylum.

The Back Building

Literary

Raised on a farm, Tabitha Salt, the daughter of Irish immigrants, leads a bucolic and sheltered existence. When tragedy strikes the family, Tabitha and her mother are forced to move to the notorious Five Points District in New York City, known for its brothels, gangs, gambling halls, corrupt politicians and thieves. As they struggle to survive in their new living conditions, tragedy strikes again. Young Tabitha resorts to life alone on the streets of New York, dreaming of a happier future. The Sisters of Charity are taking orphans off the streets with promises of a new life. Children are to forget their pasts, their religious beliefs, families and names. They offer Tabitha a choice: stay in Five Points or board the orphan train and go West in search of a new life. The harrowing journey and the decision to leave everything behind launches Tabitha on a path from which she can never return.

Forgetting Tabitha the Story of an Orphan Train Rider

Genre Fiction

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Summary Set in the majestic yet untamed Adirondack Mountains of New York more than a century ago, an extraordinary story unfolds about a little known town called Saranac Lake. The town is home to a man with a disease known as consumption, white plague, or as some called it, the red death. It is here that Doctor Edward Livingston Trudeau finds a hopeful cure for tuberculosis in the form of open air. Trudeau’s patients vary in age, gender, class, and race, but they have one thing in common. They must all choose to embrace life, even in the face of death, if they wish to heal at the Sanitarium. Christine, a woman at the helm of her family, has already lost two children to the dreaded plague. But when her daughter, Collette, contracts the disease, she is determined to keep her alive. Venturing into unknown territory, Christine risks her own health and that of her unborn child, as well as her marriage, to help her daughter seek a cure that to many is absurd. Christine embarks upon a life-changing journey as she moves from caregiver to patient. In the face of adversity she must find the courage to sustain herself. When Lena, a factory worker and mother of three, begins coughing up blood she is faced with a decision no mother wants to make. She either stays with her family and risks her own death, or leaves her loved ones behind while she goes off in hope of a cure at the Sans. Big Joe, once a strong man for a traveling circus, seeks a quiet place to live out his final days in hiding. When he is sent to the Sanitarium, he is terrified to learn he will be housed with fellow circus performers for he is a hunted man. Gaunt and thin, he can only hope no one from his past recognizes him in his current state. Little Amy, a six year old child, must care for her entire family of seven, all whom are afflicted with different forms of plague. When she is diagnosed with a very rare form herself, she is sent to the Sanitarium and put under the care of Dr. Trudeau. Alone and afraid, Amy faces her fears and allows herself to dream of a future. With a cast of characters so vivid, One Thousand Porches is a heart warming and engaging story that will instill hope and faith in even the most pessimistic reader.

The Other Side of the Fence is a powerful, emotional journey illuminating the suffering caused by leprosy. This story begins and ends in Carville, Louisiana where in 1894, the town was transformed from an abandoned Plantation into a refuge for lepers. Children were forcibly isolated from their families and put under strict quarantine inside the confines of a twelve foot barbed wire fence. Once inside, they were stripped of their rights, their dignity, and often even their identity. Eighteen year old Frances was smack in the middle of the debutante ball season in Baton Rouge, when pale patches of skin were discovered on her arm during a dress fitting. Diagnosed with leprosy, she was seen as a blight on her family and was sent away at once. Restless and overwhelmed by her family’s abandonment, she set out on a journey through the confines of the plantation that led her to the bend in the Mississippi River. Here she discovers a hole dug under the fence; this is her chance to escape and reclaim her life, or start a new one. When Jenny, a spirited ten year old girl, and her four year old brother, Danny test positive for leprosy they also become reluctant residents of Carville. They are met with the open and compassionate arms of the Sisters of Charity who do their best to help them live normal lives among the suffering. This sweeping historical novel gracefully details the depth, strength, and stamina of the human spirit during extreme times. When lives unfold and intertwine, Faith and Jenny find one another. Together, they develop a deep affinity and unlock the key to surviving by opening their hearts and letting love in once again. This is a love story about the deep bonds of friendship, the effects of love, and the ability to overcome and thrive.

The Other Side of the Fence

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Books by Dewey, Julie

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Dewey, Julie. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Forgetting Tabitha

One Thousand Porches

The Back Building

Forgetting Tabitha the Story of an Orphan Train Rider

One Thousand Porches

The Back Building

The Other Side of the Fence