Home for Erring and Outcast Girls

May 1, 2019

Framing a historical story with a contemporary one as in her debut, Calling Me Home, Kibler brings to life a little-known part of Texas history--the operation of the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls, which bucked the conventions of the day and helped unwed mothers keep their children, in the early 1900s. A century later, young university librarian Cate Sutton, escaping a past trauma, becomes fascinated by the women of the home through their stories in the library's archives, as does her student assistant, Laurel. While the author's debut dealt with racism, this novel addresses topics of sexuality and women's issues through the portrayal of two female friendships: Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride in the 1900s, and Cate and Laurel--all of them in need of escaping their histories. VERDICT While these characters may not be as captivating to readers as Calling Me Home's unlikely pair of friends, this tale of resilient women has the varied story lines and well-researched historical background to make it a popular book club selection. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/19.]--Laurie Cavanaugh, Thayer P.L., Braintree, MA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2019
An early-20th-century Texas refuge for wayward girls inspires a troubled librarian a century later in Kibler's second novel (Calling Me Home, 2013). In 2017, Cate moves to Arlington, Texas, mostly, the reader gathers, to escape her past. Employed by the University of Texas as an assistant librarian, Cate becomes obsessed with the musty records of the Berachah Industrial Home, a church-run shelter for women and girls then known as fallen, erring, or wayward--abused women, some pregnant out of wedlock, often forced into prostitution. Cate also visits Berachah's only remaining vestige, its cemetery. Interspersed with Cate's story are scenes from early-1900s Berachah, where Mattie, an unwed mother, and Lizzie, who was raped by her stepbrother and deserted by husband and family, relate their experiences in close third-person narration. Mattie's ailing son dies as she arrives at the home, and her one attempt at prostitution has left her pregnant. Taken in by Berachah along with her young daughter, Lizzie goes through heroin withdrawal. The momentum of the first half of the book is sluggish. Cate's first-person narrative ranges between the present and 1998 during her senior year in high school. The only daughter of fundamentalist Christians, she is deeply enmeshed in her church community. Much space is devoted to a deceptively anodyne account of falling in love with new classmate River while being asked to the prom by the church golden boy, Seth. In the second half of the book, conflicts finally emerge. For the Berachah girls, it's Mattie's bid for independence in Oklahoma City and Lizzie's ill-advised decision to return home to her mother. A major development in Cate's teenage life is withheld until later in the book, and readers may question how Cate, as the narrator, could censor her thoughts as to such a crucial revelation. Readers may also question the relevance of the parallel narratives until compelling ironies emerge. Not least of these is the role of fundamentalist Christianity: as rescuer in Berachah's time, as oppressor in Cate's. As this novel powerfully illustrates, the terminology has changed but gender discrimination persists.

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May 27, 2019
Kibler (Calling Me Home) tells a heartbreaking story of women a century apart who have experienced trauma and attempt to move forward. Cate Sutton is a university librarian in 2017 Arlington, Tex., and she becomes fascinated by archived records of the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls. Cate and her work-study student Laurel Medina bond over their own murky struggles as well as the story of Lizzie Bates, which is part of the home’s archives. In 1903, Lizzie takes her baby daughter to stay with her at the Texas home as Lizzie recovers from sexual abuse and drug addiction. There, she befriends another woman, Mattie Corder, and embraces the religious messages and safety provided by Brother JT Upchurch and his staff. Lizzie eventually stays on to continue helping troubled girls. As Cate and Laurel study the archives, they find strength to confront their own traumas together. Kibler’s poignant story effectively captures the raw pain and anger these women experience, but also shows them moving forward and finding support in other women.