To Dakota and Back

Judith Kappenman's To Dakota and Back: The Story of an Orphan Train Rider a biography of her grandfather John Donahue will take you to Dakota and back but also into an amazing family saga spanning a century and painfully detailing a shameful period in American history during which orphans were farmed out from the East to the Midwest to help families establish new lives. Despite what he felt was a loveless childhood Donahue prevailed building a successful life and presiding over a loving and supportive family. Their eventual return to Massachusetts brings the story full circle and is a family history to be remembered.