By focusing on orphans and destitute children in the late Ottoman Empire and thus regarding children as a significant part of history, Maksudyan says, she crosses the conventional rigid boundaries of importance for Ottoman history. She is convinced that the voices of the previously unheard--in this case poor children--can lead to a nuanced and alternative history of the period. She covers the politics of child abandonment, the private negotiation of child fosterage, state orphanages, and the internationalization of orphans. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)