Book Description

“Charters interweaves many important topics—immigration, civil rights, women’s rights—into her exciting novel . . . An evocative portrait of South Boston.” —Kirkus Reviews After the deaths of her mother and infant sister during Ireland’s Great Famine, thirteen-year-old Mary Boland makes her way to the Queenstown harbor and onto a coffin ship bound for America. But what happens during her transatlantic passage is enough to quash the strongest of dreams. After being assaulted by crewmembers, Mary thinks of ending her life—until a young Black slave named Kamua comes to her rescue . . . Forming a bond as strong as siblings, Mary and Kam reach Boston, determined to forge their own paths. No longer an innocent soul, Mary trusts no one, putting her faith in her own instincts. It is on the teeming streets of South Boston that she’ll find a new home and a new purpose as a midwife, helping poverty-stricken women survive their pregnancies. And it is in this city, full of possibility, where Mary’s heart will heal, and find the strength to survive the harsh choices she is forced to make, and grow into a woman true to herself . . . “The story of a young Irish girl’s struggles told with an authentic, historically accurate voice.” —Sallie Bissell, author of the Mary Crow series “To read Shanty Gold is to immerse oneself in a wild ride of discovery, romance, and the search for a new way of life. . . . A tale that will grab your heart and senses, with twists and turns along the way.” —Susan Blexrud, author of the Fang series