Storm Orphan
Storm Orphan is about a strong spirited daughter who grows up with her domineering father in the shadow of her mother’s death. It’s about living through tragedy yet finding hilarity. It’s about grief and joy. It’s about losing and discovering love, but ultimately, it’s a story about finding home.
About the book
When Marsha Barrett is six years old her mother dies of cancer. The youngest of three sisters in a Jewish family, she goes through a turbulent childhood during the 1960’s and 1970’s rebelling against her demanding and often absent father.
The memoir depicts the heartbreaking yet humorous chaos in Marsha’s household as her philandering father seeks a replacement wife and mother. At age seventeen, disowned by her dad and feeling wildly un-mothered, Marsha flees her home in the North Toronto suburb of Hoggs Hollow to become independent. Storm Orphan takes readers through a poignant journey as a young girl learns to find her way in the world.
Donate
All profits from Storm Orphan sales are being donated to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. This non-profit organization disseminates educational resources and participates in public policy campaigns to promote safety and wellbeing for First Nations children and their families.
About the author
Storm Orphan is Marsha Barrett’s debut book. Since childhood she has been writing in the form of journaling, short stories and rhymed poems. Her short piece on Summer Love was published in the Toronto Star in 2012. Storm Orphan began as a collection of stories and evolved over many years into a memoir.
Marsha was previously an Early Childhood Education professor at Humber College. The critical importance of a child’s early years and the need to create belonging and inclusion for all has been a motivating factor in her career and personal life. Her hope is that by sharing her story, others can connect to their own experiences of loss, grief and joy.
Marsha lives in Georgetown, Ontario with her husband. Similar to the Hoggs Hollow neighbourhood in the 1960s where she grew up, Marsha is one of a handful of Jews. If you would like to send bagels or Chanukah candles, contact her at marshabarrett24@gmail.com.
