T.K. Welsh

THE UNRESOLVED

Scholar's Blog, June 2007
"T K Welsh's The Unresolved is based on a true story. In 1904 a fire on board the steamboat General Slocum killed more than 1000 people, mostly woman and children, most of whom were German immigrants, on New York's East River. Many people suffered as a result of this tragic event and Welsh has written a hauntingly compelling novel that looks at who was to blame for this tragedy. The focus of the story is 15 year old Mallory Meer who shared her first kiss with the boy she loved, Dustin Brauer, the son of a Jewish beer brewer; he's accused of starting the fire, and he and his father are both persecuted by the Lutheran German community of Kleindeutschland. Mallory's spirit haunts the community, moving through time and space, influencing people, until justice is done and the person who really started the fire is discovered.

"I don't want to say too much more about this book because that would spoil it, I feel. Just find a copy, if you can, and read it; it's well written and very moving."

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RESURRECTION MEN

The Miss Rumphius Effect, June 2007
"I also finished Resurrection Men this afternoon. T.K. Welsh, where have you been? I loved this book! As a fan of Sherlock Holmes novels and most pieces of historical fiction set in the Victorian era, I was right at home in this work. The fact that I had recently finished Anne Roiphe's An Imperfect Lens about the cholera epidemic of 1883 in Alexandria just put me in the mood for the grisly details of Welsh's story. Victor is a worthy protagonist, and one that is not easily forgotten once the book is finished. Suffering a cruel early life, Victor witnesses the murder of his parents, is sold to a merchant, and is abused at sea and finally thrown overboard. Once he washes ashore in England, he is taken in by an elderly man who helps him recover, only to sell him to a pair of grave robbers (the "Resurrection men") who steal corpses for use in research and dissection. This is a wonderfully ghoulish story that captures the darkness of London in the mid-1800's. Pick it up and you'll find it hard to put down. Once you reach the end, you have the option of logging on to the hidden section of T.K. Welsh's web site for some added fun."

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RESURRECTION MEN

BIG A, little a, June 2007
"T.K. Welsh is fast becoming one of my favorite writers. His work transcends genre and audience classification,* and his style is provocatively old fashioned for the early 21st century. Welsh's first novel, The Unresolved, employed a ghost narrator in the telling of a tragic historical event and was one of my favorite novels of 2006. Welsh's sophomore novel, Resurrection Men, is straight-up historical fiction with a focus on class and the gritty streets of 19th-century London that would make Dickens proud.

"Resurrection Men begins in Surrey in 1852 when a repellent Marquess of Stanton runs over a small boy in his carriage. The Marquess wants to leave the severely injured boy by the side of the road because "the boy is obviously a vagabond" and "shouldn't have been gamboling out there on the road." But, his lady friend insists and the boy is delivered to a Dr. Lambro. While Dr. Lambro operates on the boy (who has broken ribs and a collapsed lung), he tells a story to his neighbor Colonel Maxwell about another little boy born 25 years earlier in Italy. This boy, Victor, is the hero of Resurrection Men.

"Victor begins his life in Italy and watches the assassination of his parents as Carbonari. He's sold as a Cabin boy and, after a hellish voyage or two, washes up on the shores of England with a leg shattered into bits. A kindly old man takes care of him, helps him to heal, and teaches him to fight. When times get tough, however, the old man sells the boy to a "Master," a man who uses children to beg on the streets, pocketing a share of their earnings. Victor travels to London and the Master with a pair of Resurrection Men--men who steal corpses for autopsies and scientific research.

"Victor makes friends amongst the other children, particularly with a young boy named Nico, who is also from Italy, and with a blind girl named Rebecca. Each day the children take an animal with them in an attempt to gain sympathy and attention amongst the crowds of London. Welsh's London is place of nightmares and dreams, of fog and pollution, of rich and poor. Victor watches as his friends are used and abused (Rebecca most of all) and vows to protect them in the streets and in the home of the Master.

"One day, a wealthy, kindly doctor approaches Victor and Rebecca on the streets and offers to fix Victor's mangled leg. After the operation, Victor stays with the doctor and begins helping in his practice. On one occasion, he attends a private autopsy and discovers that it's his friend Nico on the table. He discovers the Resurrection Men who took him to London are responsible for Nico's death and plan on providing more corpses culled from the Master's children.

"Resurrection Men is a moody, evocative tale in which more than bodies are resurrected--the souls of the primary characters are at stake as well. Welsh brings 19th-century London to life in all its horrors and brilliance and Victor is a hero worthy of the reader's attention. Pair this one with a classic in a high school classroom, or share it with an intelligent teen reader today.

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* "I have to admit I'm not entirely sure what makes Resurrection Men and The Unresolved Young Adult fiction outside the age of their narrators. These are books any adult would enjoy and, more importantly, think about long after reading."

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MAY, 2007, Readers' Poll

The results are in for the May, 2007, Readers' Poll about RESURRECTION MEN.

Ninety per cent of you who responded got this one right.  Congratulations!  The correct answer was, "Two broken ribs."  Creepy!

What was sticking out of the injured boy's chest when he reached Dr. Lambro?

90% Two broken ribs 10% A knife 0% A splintered staff 0.0% A piece of glass 0.0% A sword

JUNE 2007

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

RESURRECTION MEN
I had a chance to read from RESURRECTION MEN last month at the Princeton Teen Book Bash, in Princeton, New Jersey, and it was so much fun.  Lots of parents and teens, with live music and readings.  The staff of the Princeton Library did a fabulous job.  My thanks to all of you who came out to visit with me.

RESURRECTION MEN was released in April, 2007. Publishers Weekly called it, "A haunting tour of London's underclass during the 1830s...Welsh's visceral descriptions of industrial London are unflinching...Teens will likely be both captivated by Victor's harrowing story as well as his ability to prevail in the face of harsh injustices."  VOYA said, "(Welsh's) plot and writing style are reminiscent of Oliver Twist by Dickens but far more graphic. Teen readers will thoroughly enjoy the hair-raising suspense in this historical thriller."  And KLIATT said, "Like M.T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this look at sinister events in history makes the era come alive and lingers in the memory."

Inspired by the 1831 “Italian Boy” trial of body snatchers in London, England, RESURRECTION MEN is a spine-tingling murder mystery that pits a beggar boy named Victor against a nefarious group of Resurrection Men. In this tumultuous dark underworld, where a “fresh subject” can fetch as much as nine guineas -- the yearly salary of a working man -- Victor must risk his life to uncover the identity of the murderer who is at the heart of London’s furtive trade in human corpses.

For a sample chapter of RESURRECTION MEN, click here.

If you already own a copy, click here to access a secret section of the site...just for you.  (NOTE:  Make sure to enter the name Secret (S-e-c-r-e-t) and the correct Password, printed at the rear of the book.)

To buy your copy, click here!

READERS' POLL
The results are in for the May, 2007, Readers' Poll.  The question was, "What was sticking out of the injured boy's chest when he reached Dr. Lambro?"  Ninety per cent of those who responded got this right.  The correct answer was, "Two broken ribs."  Creepy!

For the results of previous polls, click here.

IN OTHER NEWS

THE UNRESOLVED
Kelly Herold of BIG A, little a, said on her blog:

"Colleen Mondor over at Chasing Ray has started a new Monday series called Wicked Cool Overlooked Books. You know the ones. The books you reviewed a year or two ago, but still haven't forgotten. The ones that didn't win any of the major awards for one reason or another. Yeah, those Wicked Cool Overlooked Books.  My first choice is T.K. Welsh's The Unresolved. I reviewed this novel in October of 2006 for The Edge of the Forest. I loved this novel for its beautiful prose, its telling of a true story in an unusual way, and its hardheaded (deceased) narrator."

Thanks, Kelly!  Because of your support, and the support of readers and reviewers like you, THE UNRESOLVED continues to sell briskly and garner attention.

Ranked one of the Top Ten Children's Books of 2006 by the Washington Post, THE UNRESOLVED has been named a 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Teens by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, which recognized only six works in Jewish teen literature this year.  The novel was nominated for the 2006 Cybils literary awards, and for the 2007 Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) by the American Library Association.  It's currently featured as one of the Best Teen Books of the year 2006 at BarnesAndNoble.com.

The Washington Post said, "Welsh writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction."  School Library Journal said, "THE UNRESOLVED tells a remarkable story in a remarkable way."  Horn Book Magazine called THE UNRESOLVED, "A decidedly unconventional ghost story ... (and) a tightly wound novel."  Kirkus Reviews termed it, "A remarkable account."  Romantic Times said, "THE UNRESOLVED is a book you shouldn't pass up."  The Edge of the Forest said, "It may be the most beautifully written novel I've read this year."  All About the Book said, "The Unresolved is a great one. Mallory is the most well-developed ghostly character I've seen in a long, long time..."  And Midwest Book Review called THE UNRESOLVED, "a wonderfully different kind of ghost story."

Inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, THE UNRESOLVED reaches back into history to explore what was, until recently, the greatest disaster in New York City history.  Based on the sinking of the General Slocum steamship -- which caught fire in the East River, New York, in 1904, resulting in the death of over 1,000 mostly German immigrants on a church outing -- THE UNRESOLVED is at once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge.  The novel dramatizes how a single life –- and death –- can have a powerful influence on history.

For a sample chapter of THE UNRESOLVED, click here.

To buy your copy, click here!

REVIEWS (Excerpted in May)

RESURRECTION MEN -- Editorial Reviews

The Thrushmetal Review, May 2007
"The dark, putrid, gray atmosphere of 1830s London is recreated here in vivid and sometimes brutal detail, accurately reflecting the environment of the era...Welsh has incorporated gothic, mystery, and horror genres into a historical novel that is very readable...The action and pace is steady and quick, rarely pausing, and finishes in an unforgettable, movie-quality fight-to-the-death."

THE UNRESOLVED -- Reader Reviews

Carol Reinhard of http://www.christievilsack.org @ www.tkwelsh.com
"I loved The Unresolved.  In fact loved it so much I have chosen it to be the featured book this month (April) on the on-line book club I edit for Christie Vilsack, the former first lady of Iowa."

For the full text of the Reviews, click here.