This is the story of Pia, the daughter of German immigrants who came to the United States to find a better life for themselves and their daughter. Pia's dad ended up working in a coal mine before being recruited into the army. The family of 5 lived in squalor in a very poor section of Philadelphia along with immigrants from many other countries among resentful poor Americans. This is also the story of one of those such Americans, Bernice. It is 1918 and the Spanish Flu is hitting the city of Philadelphia exceptionally hard. This story follows Pia and Bernice during the pandemic. If you haven't read Ellen Wiseman before, you should be forewarned that her books are at times gut wrenching and horrific as she so brilliantly describes manufactured events during this period in our history. #theorphancollector #netgalley