The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor

For whatever reason, I often seem to pick up books with controversial topics. I don't try to find these books, it's usually a case of my eye catching a title or a cover that interests me. In the case of The Blue Orchard, the setting in Pennsylvania during the early- to mid-1900s caught my attention. I didn't know until I read the prologue that it was about a girl who worked as a nurse for an abortion doctor.

Regardless of my beliefs on any given topic, I think it's valuable to read books like this for the sake of learning about another perspective. Usually, after reading about it I feel more firm in my own beliefs because I am more informed on the topic. This book told the true story (or rather, a true story, as the author would clarify) of Verna Krone from Verna's point of view. The author is writing about his grandmother and describes the events of her life accurately, inventing only the emotions he imagined she would have been feeling.

At age 13, Verna's mother makes her quit the 8th grade and go to work as a housekeeper for a family not far from town. Verna brings her wages back to her small family in their frugal cottage every Sunday when she visits them. This is the start of all the trials in her life when she is treated inappropriately by the husband of the family she works for. Most of the men she encounters from this point on are nothing but dirt, yet she does not always recognize it right away or she is trapped in a situation she cannot easily escape.

The only decent man in her life is Murphy, the second person she goes to work for. Murphy is in his 40s and Verna is now an older teenager. He owns a small roadside diner and hires her as his only waitress. He helps her learn how to read and write better by having her copy stories from the newspaper and tell him about them. When his business fails due to the onset of the Depression, he brings her to live at his sister's house and helps her find new work as a housekeeper. The only time he is ever tempted to kiss her, he stops himself and says "no, you're too young." Murphy was my favorite character in the book because of his honorable heart and good intentions.

Verna's life is interesting but sad as she struggles to support herself, her mother and sisters, and her young son (who lives with her mother) through a number of jobs as a housekeeper or a waitress. Eventually she seems to run across a bit of luck and is able to attend nursing school, but afterwards it is still not easy to find a job. Things are looking up again when she falls into a job with Dr. Crampton. He is a well-respected citizen of Harrisburg, does a lot for the community, and runs an extremely successful medical practice. Verna makes $60 a week working as a nurse for him, the only catch being that Dr. Crampton's practice is performing illegal abortions.

While still struggling with issues concerning her mother, her son, her husband and society, Verna is at least able to feel financially stable and finds Dr. Crampton to be a wise and supportive person. Problems arise when his practice comes into jeopardy with the new district attorney, and Verna must learn to deal with change and decide what to do next.

This story took Taylor ten years to research and write. Ten years! He said in the author interview in the back of the book that if he knew it was going to take that long, he probably wouldn't have started it. I don't blame him, however I'm glad he didn't know from the start and that he put so much effort into telling a difficult family history story.