Introduction

As the two women face the misdeeds of a system known to manipulate and abuse immigrants searching for new hope in America, they form an unlikely friendship?and share a terrible secret?altering their fates and the lives of the immigrants who come after them.

This is a novel of the dark secrets of Ellis Island, when entry to "the land of the free" promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, and when immigrant strength and female friendship found ways to triumph even on the darkest days.

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Discussion Questions

1. Discuss Francesca’s reasons for leaving Italy. What circumstances would cause you to leave your home?
2. Francesca is warned that some immigrant women have been funneled into workhouses or servitude by scam artists. How does the immigration process make people more vulnerable? What protections would you suggest to prevent these types of exploitation?
3. Describe Alma’s mother Johanna. How does her own security compete with her children’s needs? Do you think she could have stood up to Robert more?
4. Francesca and Maria are first denied entry to the U.S. because they have no male relatives to meet them and no employment arranged. What was the reasoning behind these limiting policies? How do they compare to modern immigration requirements?
5. Alma’s first instinct is to report all types of corruption she sees—from the vendor giving incorrect change, to matrons resorting to physical violence. Still, her coworkers repeatedly convince her not to say anything. What persuaded her to keep quiet? Would you have done something different in her place?
6. As she confesses her sins, Francesca hopes that her God would understand her intentions. At the time of each “sin,” she felt she was making the only choice available to her. Do you think she acted immorally throughout the book? Why or why not?
7. Most of the Ellis Island staff disdains Commissioner Williams when he takes charge. Did he deserve their distrust? How do the opinions of her coworkers shape Alma’s interactions with the commissioner?
8. Francesca agrees to help her coworker Janie find the rat in her bedroom, knowing that it might curb some of Janie’s cruel behavior. Would you have helped Janie? Are there circumstances where helping others—or making yourself indispensable to them—is not a worthwhile strategy?
9. Alma is appalled to discover that her coworkers were already aware of John Lambert’s mistreatment of immigrant women. How did his position and the criminalization of sex work protect him from consequences? Do you think the coworkers that turned a blind eye share responsibility for his crimes?

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