This book is a product of careful research about orphans in New York City and around the world. It acknowledges their impact on other people’s lives.
The Judge of Orphans takes us into a gripping tale of Mary Rose Cabrini, a lawyer who became a Judge of Orphans. As makes a speech to accept her position, she captures the attention of a mysterious child named Joseph Di Buonna who begs for her help in pursuing the truth about his family. The boy’s tale stretches beyond his generation back to gas-lit New York City and an era in which every child on the street had to fend for himself against starvation, filth, nosey do-gooders, other street children, cops, truant officers, and many others. Mary Rose discovers that Joseph’s ancestors did manage to pass down the secret legacy of his family. Has the hour finally come for Joseph to claim what is rightfully his? Or is Mary Rose being tricked by a clever child capable of leading her into a trap of deceit, disgrace, and untimely death?