One Glorious Ambition: The Compassionate Crusade of Dorothea Dix PDF
Preview One Glorious Ambition: The Compassionate Crusade of Dorothea Dix
Praise for One Glorious Ambition “Jane Kirkpatrick’s ability to probe the human spirit makes One Glorious Ambition a soaring novel of love, compassion, and duty. Born a nineteenth-century woman with few rights, Dorothea Dix nonetheless challenged the nation’s most powerful men to provide humane treatment for the hopeless—the retarded and insane. In Kirkpatrick’s skillful hands, One Glorious Ambition inspires like few other novels.” —SANDRA DALLAS, author of True Sisters and The Quilt Walk “One Glorious Ambition is a compelling novelization of Dorothea Dix’s crusade on behalf of the mentally ill. Kirkpatrick’s painstaking documentation and customary attention to historical detail shine here, and the connections between Dix’s personal relationships and her life’s work stand out. Dix is a worthy American heroine. The interview section at the end of the book adds many fascinating nuggets to the story.” —SUSAN PAGE DAVIS, award-winning author of more than forty books “Jane Kirkpatrick has the rare ability to use what’s known about historical women as the foundation for compelling historical fiction. Here, Kirkpatrick shines her light on the remarkable life of Dorothea Dix, seamlessly blending fact and fiction to illuminate Dix’s journey from a girl struggling to save her family to a woman championing all those in need. Dorothea Dix can still inform and inspire modern readers, and One Glorious Ambition is a story to be treasured.” —KATHLEEN ERNST, award-winning author of the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries “Jane Kirkpatrick uses her considerable writing talents to bring Dorothea Dix to life in this exciting historical novel. In doing so, Kirkpatrick gives a voice and face not only to a heroic crusader but also to Americans seldom seen or heard in our society—those living with mental disorders. Her fiction reads like fact because it describes a campaign that still needs to be waged and exposes societal flaws that have yet to be addressed.” —PETE EARLEY, author of Crazy: A Father’s Search Through America’s Mental Health Madness “Thank you, Jane, for personally introducing me to Dorothea in your book One Glorious Ambition. It is a joyful experience to come to actually know someone I knew so much about. My admiration of Dorothea Dix and her work has been deepened by your work, Jane.” —DEAN BROOKS, MD, superintendent (1955–1982), Oregon State Hospital “A must-read! I was moved to tears by the sense of history, tragedy, and hope of Dorothea’s life work accomplished on behalf of people with mental health challenges. Every human being should know Dorothea Dix’s story. Jane Kirkpatrick captures it magnificently!” —GINA FIRMAN NIKKEL, PhD, president and CEO, Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care “Read this book and have Dorothea Dix transform your life. Be uplifted not simply by the grand trajectory of Dix’s singular journey but by the irresistible voice that Jane Kirkpatrick compels you to hear. A deeply sensitive and intelligent young woman overcomes trenchant pain and social barriers to fight tirelessly for those who have neither a voice nor an advocate. Her impossible life is unraveled and liberated in this novel. And read with a sense of urgency, for the battles fought by Dorothea Dix more than a century ago are very much in need of being waged again.” —CHARLES KISELYAK, producer and director of award-winning films including Completely Cuckoo, Fearful Symmetry, and A Constant Forge PREVIOUS BOOKS BY JANE KIRKPATRICK NOVELS Where Lilacs Still Bloom *The Daughter’s Walk *A Land of Sheltered Promise Portraits of the Heart *A Flickering Light *An Absence So Great Change and Cherish Historical Series *A Clearing in the Wild *A Tendering in the Storm A Mending at the Edge Tender Ties Historical Series *A Name of Her Own Every Fixed Star Hold Tight the Thread Kinship and Courage Historical Series *All Together in One Place No Eye Can See What Once We Loved Dreamcatcher Collection *A Sweetness to the Soul Love to Water My Soul A Gathering of Finches Mystic Sweet Communion Log Cabin Christmas (novella) The Midwife’s Legacy (novella) NONFICTION *Aurora: An American Experience in Quilt, Community, and Craft Homestead A Simple Gift of Comfort Promises of Hope for Difficult Times *finalists and award-winning works ONE GLORIOUS AMBITION PUBLISHED BY WATERBROOK PRESS 12265 Oracle Boulevard, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80921 All Scripture quotations and paraphrases are taken from the King James Version. This book is a work of historical fiction based closely on real people and real events. Details that cannot be historically verified are purely products of the author’s imagination. eISBN: 978-0-307-72943-9 Copyright © 2013 by Jane Kirkpatrick Cover design by Kristopher K. Orr; cover photography by Liz McAulay, Getty Images All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published in the United States by WaterBrook Multnomah, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York. WATERBROOK and its deer colophon are registered trademarks of Random House Inc. Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress. v3.1_r1 To Dr. Dean Brooks and his compassionate daughters: Ulista, India, and Dennie Contents Cover Other Books by This Author Title Page Copyright Dedication Cast of Characters Epigraph Part One One: Like Orphans in the Chaos Two: The Arrival Three: Relative Rule Four: Instruction Five: Purposeful Behavior Six: Why Are You Crying Now? Seven: Orange Court’s Welcome Eight: A Touch of Friendship Nine: Friends Sublime Ten: That Little Stability Eleven: Tumbling Down Twelve: Except in Fond Review Part Two Thirteen: On Her Own Fourteen: No Paper, No Pens Fifteen: Servants of Greenbank Sixteen: An Orphan’s Tale Seventeen: What Is Left Eighteen: The Moment Nineteen: A Second Journey Twenty: Compassion in the Particular Twenty-One: The Best She Could Hope For Twenty-Two: Thousands Await Twenty-Three: To Ask for More Twenty-Four: Polishing the Soul Twenty-Five: Thwarted Ambition Twenty-Six: To Be Miss-Dixed Twenty-Seven: To Absorb the Goodness Part Three Twenty-Eight: Battle Preparations Twenty-Nine: Praying a Grant of Land Thirty: A Change of Fortune Thirty-One: Hooked Thirty-Two: Compromise Thirty-Three: Lessons of Loss Thirty-Four: Men in High Places Thirty-Five: The Bridge Thirty-Six: Acceptance and Reward Epilogue Readers Guide Author Interview Acknowledgments
The list of books you might like
