The Last Orphan

Book excerpt: Parowan, Utah Territory - August 12, 1859Two years after his mother and father were murdered in an attack on their California-bound wagon train, little Tommy Dunning crouches in an old root cellar, quivering with cold-and raw fear. Somewhere just above him, men are searching, army men who want to take him away from the only home he remembers.The Last Orphan is the journey of a courageous five-year old and two strong women, each of whom believes God has chosen her to raise the boy in love and the "correct" faith tradition. Praise for The Last Orphan-"Lowder immerses the reader in the spectacular red-rock desert of what is now Southern Utah. It is 1859, a time of mistrust, polygamy, and a theocracy defended by armed militias. Your heart will go out to a five-year-old orphan boy trapped in the turmoil, and two indomitable women, each of whom claim him as her own." - David Nelson, writer San Francisco Chronicle, ret."Over the course of the novel, the author keeps up a quick pace, even as he juggles many different characters in locales across the country. ... the book has a compelling premise at its center, and the story is alive with emotional truth." - Kirkus Reviews "A terrific story that examines a powerful range of human experience and emotions. I loved the authentic voices of a precocious little boy and the two women whose maternal love and undying beliefs will tested to the end."-Karla M. Jay, author of When We Were Brave, a 2019 DISTINGUISHED FAVORITE, New York City Big Book Award.