Reviews of The Santa Claus Girl
… intriguing … timely … The author shows an enviable ability to give voice to her characters’ deepest emotions, as in a heartfelt inner monologue by Megan’s mother, as she wonders if her daughter will survive …
— Kirkus Reviews
David L. Barber Ludington Daily News, Feb. 13, 2024:
'The Santa Claus Girl' is a liberating story
… my wife gifted me Patricia P Goodin's “The Santa Claus Girl” for Christmas and it became as joyful a read as any I've ever experienced, so much so I'll sit and read it a second time real soon.
Goodin's story brings to light, and to life, the 1952 polio epidemic in America that saw tens-of-thousands of people – mostly children – have their breath stolen with that horrible sickness. And of course, it tells the story of a little girl named Virginia O'Hanlon who wrote a letter to the editor asking if Santa Claus is real, a little girl who grew up to become a teacher and who in the sunset of her career became an influential educational figure in a New York City hospital that had an elementary school inside to better assist those young polio victims who could not get out – many of who were held prisoners in the “iron lungs” of the day.
Goodin introduces us to a community of characters – including 8-year-old Virginia's family and her non-believing classmates, while later we become seated in the shadows of sickened children, doctors and nurses, taxi cab drivers, snowplow drivers, airline pilots, reporters, editors and more – who together tell the story of “The Santa Claus Girl,” a mesmerizing narrative that we are told, right up front, is “A Novel Inspired by True Events.”
And so it is, and was – a true story.
I've read Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol: In Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas,” more times than I can remember. It is, of course, the definitive story about Christmas, other than the birth of a babe in a manager.
I've read Valentine Davies “Miracle on 34 Street,” both for a book report when I was in fifth grade and then again later in life for pure enjoyment. By the way, Mrs. Mitchell gave me an A for my report, though the fact I was her neighbor and sometimes mowed her and her husband Walter's lawn and shoveled their snow might have had a little something to do with that.
I enjoyed Goodin's book as much as any of the above, or any other for that matter, Christmas related or not. To me, the mark of a good book – of a great book – is when you're too tired to keep reading and your eyelids feel like paperweights, yet you keep reading. And reading. And then you go back a page or two as you say to yourself, “did I really just read that?” and you read it again.
Both heartwarming and heart wrenching, Goodin's “The Santa Claus Girl” is satisfyingly sandwiched between slices of joy and genius. And though I am not, by education or job requirement, a person who reviews books, I am a reader and a writer and when a book entertains me – when it liberates me – I want to share what I discovered between its pages.
With Goodin's book I learned the story of a little girl who, in writing, questioned the existence of Santa Claus, and of an editorial writer who answered her question with such a meaningful sentiment that those words still live, today;
I learned the story of when a dreaded infectious disease that attacks a person's nervous system took child after child hostage not so long ago in our lifetime;
I learned the story how the human spirit, a spirit that when bound with muscle and mind, can help to overcome such a disease;
I learned the story of a lifelong educator who …
… my goodness, I don't want to tell you too much about this story, rather I should just let you read it yourself.
If you read Patricia P Goodin's “The Santa Claus Girl,” you too, will consider yourself liberated.
booklife by Publishers Weekly:
Goodin debuts with a warmhearted story of a community struggling to navigate a 1952 outbreak of polio. The book centers on the efforts of Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas (a real historical figure), who is a school principal for chronically ill children in Brooklyn’s New York General Hospital. Virginia, known as The Santa Claus girl due to the famous letter to a newspaper editor she wrote as a child asking if Santa is real, runs the school with her assistant, Valerie Jackson, a Black woman who’s also afflicted by polio. The pair work diligently to mitigate the damaging effects of polio and foster hope in their patients, all against the backdrop of 1952’s economic and political upheaval in America.
Goodin handles these weighty topics with care and delicacy, evoking the terror surrounding the unknowns of a disease without a viable vaccine but also the community’s unwavering spirit as they unite to support the hospital’s work. Fifteen-year-old Megan McGuire is one of the newest patients attending the school, but she’s not the worst off: Rachel Hall, just five years old, is critically infected and unable to breathe on her own without an iron lung, but the hospital has none to spare. Enter cab driver Ben Wilson, a second World War veteran suffering from flashbacks but with a heart of gold, who pools his resources—along with the help of his boss, Gino Ruganni, co-workers, and even some local waitresses—to purchase a new iron lung to save Rachel’s life.
Of course, Ben and company run into last-minute trouble on their heroic mission, but the story still builds toward a heartening ending. Along the way Goodin offers poignant coming-of-age moments for a local reporter interviewing Virginia, as well as insight into the era’s political undercurrents (some of which eerily mimic contemporary politics). Christmas comes early for the hospital, and Virginia’s words of wisdom ring true: “Take care of yourself, and help others along the way.”
Due to the title, I was expecting a ‘feel good’ Hallmark type Christmas story. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was a historical fiction book about the ‘Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus’ girl who eventually became the principal of a New York hospital school during the polio epidemic in the early 50s. It was one of those books where I ended up staying up late until I finished it. I will be looking for more books by this author.
— Wendy, rated 5 Stars on Goodreads
I loved this book. I had polio as a child and was not aware of the epidemic of early 1900. It is one of those books that it is hard to find the next good read.
– Sheri Rupert, Facebook post
Just finished reading it . . . Can’t wait for her next book. Her research is phenomenal.
— Gordon D., Facebook post, The Santa Claus Girl
I lived through the polio epidemic. Then, as a student nurse, I was part of the teams giving the oral vaccine in the schools. As a student nurse, I had to experience being in an iron lung. It was a frightening experience. I could not put your story down and commend you for a great first book.
— Coni G., Reader Comments
Just finished reading the book. It brought tears to me many times. It reminded me of “The Christmas Box” of twenty years ago. I am old enough to remember the Polio epidemic growing up and the iron lungs. Your book is even better than “The Christmas Box.” I do hope you write more books. Your book is especially great because it is a true story about a wonderful woman, Virginia.
– Robert Schubert, reader comment
Got this and can’t put it down! … All my life, people have said to me, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!” I was born in 1950, and my mother had Polio as a child. This book is so informative about the ‘50s, and I am a true believer in Santa! Love the book!
– Virginia W, Facebook post
The book was hard to put down once I started reading. It was a real account of a real time in our lives, mostly forgotten or never known about.
–Teresa T, rated 5 stars on Amazon
Well written grammatically, so it flowed from one tense moment to the next. It was hard to put it down to do anything but follow the heart wrenching story.
— Mary A. Smith, rated 5 Stars on Amazon
I only knew of the childhood letter which Virginia wrote, but this book gave me a fuller understanding of the woman she became. I am impressed by her career and life, and I am sure that others will be too after reading this book.
– Melanie S, rated 4 stars on Amazon
“The Santa Claus Girl” is incredibly well-written and one of the best I have ever read! . . . it is worthy of reflection, inasmuch as it is so graphic in its comparisons of 1952 & 2020 . . . I gave the book a 5-star review, which nook allowed at the end of the book. If you ever happen to do a book signing at our Barnes & Noble, I would like to know so I could spread the word to my teacher/friends. We would like to hear you speak about your book.
— Cherie Peil, PhD.
This poignant historical novel is rooted in truths occurring decades ago that still ring true today: the triumph of the human heart against the challenges of a global pandemic … and the chain-reaction of altruism.
— Marian Prentice Huntington, author of Ani’s Asylum