Anna: Going to America immerses the reader in the American immigrant experiences of a young girl as she and her mother endure the hardships of rail travel across Europe and a voyage across the Atlantic in steerage class.
Anna is a 15-year-old Lithuanian country girl who immigrates to America in 1914 with her stern mother. They are the last of their immediate family to leave their native country to join Anna's brothers and sisters in America. Along the way, Anna learns the disturbing secret about her absent father and endures her mother's efforts to protect her from the heartaches that come from love. Moral dilemmas propel Anna toward adulthood as a man stalks her, a ship's steward woos her, and, a priest becomes a father figure who counsels her. Anna learns that life is not always black and white and that a lie can be both a mercy and a burden. Before the ship reaches Ellis Island, Anna's cleverness about a shipboard tragedy puts her life at risk.
Anna: Going to America is based on historic figures and circumstances and some of the immigrant experiences of the real Ona Sacevich, significantly embellished to make an enthralling tale for readers of all ages