Promise of White Roses

"Welcome to the world, moje malá holka: Antoinette."

I believe that it is important to keep the stories of our ancestors alive for many reasons, but perhaps the most important reasons are to honor their memory and thank them for their sacrifices. This is a true story of my great-great grandma, Antoinette Šeplová, who was forced to come to America all on her own at the young age of 13 around 1900. Every part of this short, episodic fiction is based on records, old letters, and accounts from family members to piece together her life's story as a Czech immigrant in America. From a Pietist commune in Iowa to the rough neighborhoods of the Chicago South Side, my great-great grandmother's story is one I continue my work unraveling to this day. Thank you for your interest and support in my writing, it is very much appreciated. :)
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Thank you to @grendelthegood for selecting this work for the Wattpad Curator list exploring immigrant stories!

#1 in #czechrepublic
#2 in #americandream
#4 on #truestory
#12 in #basedonatruestory
#9 in 1910s
#32 in #immigration
#152 in #nonfiction

First published on March 15th, 2021.

Cover rose photo by Ryan Song on Unsplash.