In June of 1952, two little girls are taken from their comfortable home with relatives on Capitol Hill to live in an orphanage. The two children are daughters of a Filipino immigrant who, in those days, as a single parent,could not keep his children. Herein begins the story of Ms. Smith's life in the orphanage.

The book covers Ms. Smith's growing up in the orphanage along with her sister (who was one year younger). The daily struggle and routine, along with the compassionate care of the Sisters makes for a great read.

The building, the grounds and the people of St. Vincent's Orphanage are sketched by the author in a most compassionate way. Photos at the end of the book show how things used to be in that time gone by.

St. Vincent's Orphanage is long gone, a victim of progress and urban growth. However, the building, the Sisters, Father Adler and the memories of the children cared for live on in Nita's book.

You will gain insight into the upity-up of Washington at the time: the Kennedy family sponsoring pool parties for the children,Bobby Kennedy helping the children, a visit to the White House by some of the children, visits to the Alsop house in Georgetown,and much more.

Forever in our Hearts is a dear story. A story of sharing, caring and love. It is also a story of loss and children experiencing the effects of family alcoholism. Ms. Smith relates her childhood experiences as if she were sharing them to you in front of a cozy fire, not as a writer...almost as a confidant.

Fascinating times, fascinating people, fascinating events in a bygone era make for a wonderful story.

Forever In Our Hearts is, in my opinion, is one of the best personal memoirs of this decade.

Forever In Our Hearts,Nita Mondonedo Smith, PublishAmerica,2005 ISBN#1-4137-3850-8

Gene Smith is an author and essayist. He has published one book, Orphans of the Wind and has written extensively on the web. He is listed in Who's Who in America,2005 and lives in West Virginia.