William R. Holman. THE ORPHANS' NINE COMMANDMENTS,
A MEMOIR. Texas Christian University Press. 2007.
“David Copperfield and Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens famous orphans, could not have been more hard pressed than William Holman in the oil patches of Oklahoma. His passionate story, The Orphans Nine Commandments tells of life in the 1930's when orphans were fed for 3 1/2 cents a day and controlled by matrons such as one who wore a paddle clipped to her belt.
It is good to see an autobiography documented with court records, adoption papers, and an "Indenture Contract" under which Roger Bechan was released from the "West Oklahoma Home for White Children" in 1937. A Dickens like story but this is real life. I couldn't put the book down.”
By Betty Ann Altman - Santa Cruz, Ca.
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“The Orphans’ Nine Commandments is an important—indeed, a compelling memoir. Bill Holman takes us into the world of orphanages—private and state—in a way that will move you, inform you, and haunt you.”
Larry McMurtry, Author of Lonesome Dove
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