Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler

THE HOME FOR ERRING AND OUTCAST GIRLS   by Julie Kibler

I had a hard time reviewing this book. There are two concurrent stories in the book. One concerns the Berachah Home in Arlington Texas (1903 -1935) that was supported by the Nazarene Church and was unusual in that unmarried, but pregnant, girls were not just encouraged to keep their child, but were given a home for themselves and their child for life if necessary and training for a job if they wished to leave with their child. The second story concerned a librarian in Arlington in 2017 and the college student she has befriended.

The Berachah story is excellent. The librarian story is strained, unnecessary, has little to do with the Berachah Home and makes the book entirely too long. I kept waiting for the author to reveal a connection between the two stories – it didn’t happen.

So… read the story about the Berachah Home and skip all the parts about the librarian. You will have a really good read about an actual Home that did good work for the duration of its existence. The research is impeccable and the girl’s stories are interesting and well written. Lizzie and Mattie’s stories are based on real people and are heart rending.

5 of 5 stars for the Berachah story

2 of 5 stars for the Librarian story