Reading between the lines: The Children’s Train presented by Emanuela Moretto

After World War II, thousands of children from Naples boarded trains north to live with strangers who’d offered them a better life for a while. The Children’s Train tells that story through the eyes of one boy, Amerigo, and what he gains and loses in the journey.

About the book: Published in 2019 by acclaimed Italian author Viola Ardone, The Children’s Train is inspired by the true post-war “trains of happiness” that carried children from impoverished southern Italy to volunteer families in the more prosperous North. Told through the eyes of young Amerigo, who leaves Naples for a new life in Emilia Romagna, this moving novel explores sacrifice, compassion, cultural divides and the enduring hope that emerges through kindness and human connection.

Come discuss it with Emanuela Moretto, who teaches comparative literature at UTS and Macquarie University. No need to have finished the book, copies are available at the library, and you’re welcome to just listen in.

Borrow the book

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