"Based on a true story."

"One moment can change your life forever. For eight-year-old Tim, this occurred when both of his parents, immigrants from Ireland, perished. Separated from his siblings, friends and the only world he knows, Tim becomes a resident of an orphanage northwest of Chicago. Tim executes a harrowing escape and returns to live on the rough and tumble streets of Chicago. He encounters the red-light district, tuberculosis, smallpox, the Spanish flu and the mob in a notorious time in Chicago history which includes the Iroquois Theatre fire, the Eastland Disaster, and more. Using his smarts and will to survive, Tim's unceasing desire to again experience love of family keeps him alive through extraordinarily challenging events"--Page 4 of cover

"Celtic Knot is a historical fiction novel based on the life of the author's grandfather, Tim Conlon. ... This novel reflects the author's present recollections of Tim's life. Some of the characters and institutions are purely fictional"--Title page verso