If you’ve never been to the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island, I hope you’ll consider making the trip. You will come away, as I did, with a greater appreciation of the sacrifices scores of immigrants made to come to America. Work is still being done on Ellis Island to restore some of the buildings and to maintain the museum. To learn more and perhaps become a part of the effort, visit www.ellisisland.org.
When I imagined how difficult life was for my character Grace, I admired her for fighting against the negative voices from her past. I know there are many people today who struggle with the results of emotional abuse. My heart goes out to them. Overcoming such adversity requires a drive to grasp for an anchor. I can think of only one worthy anchor. At first Grace did not know it was Jesus Christ she was searching for, but she saw the light of Christ in others and reached for it. My hope is that you and I will continue to shine that very same light so people like Grace will find the anchor they seek.
About the Author
CINDY THOMSON has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. Her first novel, Brigid of Ireland, was published by Monarch Books, and she is a coauthor of Three Finger: The Mordecai Brown Story, the only full-length biography of baseball Hall of Famer Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown. Grace’s Pictures is the first in a series set in New York City at the turn of the twentieth century, following the lives of new immigrants as they struggle to find their place in America. Along the way they will find friendship and love and renew their faith in God.
Cindy is a mentor in the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She and her husband have three grown sons and make their home in central Ohio, where they enjoy rooting for the Cincinnati Reds.
Her greatest wish is that her writing will encourage, enlighten, and entertain her readers.
Visit her online at www.cindyswriting.com.
Discussion Questions
What was Grace trying to capture in her drawings and later in her photographs?
What part did the streetcar accident play in Owen’s decision to become a police officer, and how did that help illustrate to him the difference in the classes?
Augustus Sherman, the Ellis Island photographer, said that he took photographs of immigrants at the immigration station because once they arrived at Battery Park, they shed their cultural garb. What is this symbolic of, and why do you think Grace did not do that with her tattered red petticoat?
What did Grace see in her Ellis Island photograph that she did not like?
While the Benevolents are a fictional group, this time in history gave birth to many real-life charities aimed at helping new immigrants. Why do you think groups like this often formed independently of larger institutions? What were they trying to accomplish that might have been unique?
The Hudson Dusters, a real historical gang, were viewed by the police at the time as relatively harmless. What peril did that gang represent that the police and the citizens of the time likely missed? And if they had taken the gang more seriously, what might have happened differently?
Why you think the Committee of Fifteen was formed? Did it have a chance to be effective? Why or why not?
How did the Brownie box camera change photography?
How did the voices in Grace’s head change once she started working for the Parker household?
How did Mr. Hawkins’s wise sayings influence Grace and eventually her perceptions of Owen?
What do you think was the purpose of the maid dances? Why do you think immigrants wanted to become Americans (and shed their old garments as soon as they arrived) and still hold on to their culture by holding dances like the Thursday night maids’ dance?
In the end, how was Grace able to find what she’d been looking for in the faces of the people she admired?
Cindy Thomson - [Ellis Island 01] Page 31