The Orphan:

Listening to my mother, Vira, narrate her childhood growing up as an orphan in rural Arkansas fills me with a mix of emotions. Her stories reflect resilience, hope, and profound simplicity.

This story took place between late 1918 and 1929 in Arkansas along the Arkansas River Valley on the northern side of the river. Nationwide thousands of children were left parentless due to the so called "Spanish Flu" epidemic which struck the nation in 1918-1919. Arkansas was not spared this ordeal. Vora, the principal character of the story, was orphaned in the epidemic. In addition, for many years after the Civil War and Reconstruction Era Arkansas's economic development had not kept pace with the rest of the nation and had remained mostly rural and agrarian. Arkansas could be considered, to coin a phrase, an orphan to the rest of the nation. As the story unfolds both orphans are struggling to become. with Vira's tale painting a vivid picture of a life filled with challenges and triumphs.