Nobody's Child: A Woman's Abusive Past and the Inspiring Dream That Led Her to Rescue the Street Children of Saigon

by Christina Noble, Robert Coram

This is the story of how Christina Noble's own agonizing childhood, endured in the slums of Dublin, became the bridge to the destitute and despised children of Vietnam. Not for the faint of heart, Noble's account is told with the pungent wit and exuberance that are the means of survival for this extraordinary woman. Photos.

257 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1994

About the author

Christina Noble is an Irish children's rights campaigner, charity worker, and founder of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation.

Born into the slums of Dublin, Christina was sent into an orphanage at the age of 10 when her mother died. She spent the rest of her childhood and adolescence either in institutions or living rough on the streets of Dublin. In 1971, during her abusive first marriage, she had a dream where she saw the children of Vietnam implore her for help. However, it was 1989 before she could finally travel to Ho Chi Minh City and set up her foundation to help these children. She later expanded her charity work into Mongolia.

Noble describes her early life in Bridge Across My Sorrows and her continuing work with neglected children in Mama Tina.

Reviews

[Marie Carmean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and incredibly inspiring...the true story of Christina Noble, who lived in the slums of Dublin as a child, suffering malnutrition, fleas, and every imaginable ill but who has a dream to go to Vietnam someday and help the street children there. She accomplishes her goal after years of turmoil and pain, and after raising three beautiful children of her own. Her efforts are incredible, and you will cheer as you read this wonderful book!

[Carolyn Simmons]

About 2/3 of the way through this book I decided that this book was a FRAUD, because I could not fathom all of these horrible things happening to a person. A bit of internet research established that Christina Noble is a real person who told a very real, very horrifying story of her early life. It is amazing that she had the resilience to both survive and thrive. THREE THINGS about her childhood make me angry. Number One: her father refused to take responsibility for Christina and her siblings. Number Two: Australia did not offer a safety net to take care of these children. Number Three: the cruelty of the Roman Catholics who were in a position to help them.

This is an amazing memoir. I strongly recommend it.

[Melanie Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. You realize all you didn't know about how absolutely and unbelievably horrible that people can be. And you come away so thankful for the people you are placed with in life. It will bring you to tears many times.