Before We Were Yours was incredibly moving! I liked how the strength of the characters was portrayed. The fictional story based on something that happened in the early 30s was so heartbreaking to read at times, but at the same time captivating and powerful. The story is about the children in a family who are taken away from their parents and taken to a childrens home. It is the story of the days before this happened and what happened after. It is also about a young woman's discovery of this secret years later and her search to find out what really happened.

Good story that goes back and forth between the present and past. I didn't love the story of Avery Stafford (the present) but I loved the story of Rill Foss (the past). It was a horrifying story based on true events that was heart wrenching to think about. It also sent me down a rabbit hole for hours googling Georgia Tan and her "orphanages".

While I found myself wanting to skip over the chapters at the river, I loved the present day story line. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve never come remotely close to contact with people who would live like that but it was hard for me to believe and not see as a fantasy aspect to the book. Something about those scenes seemed too fictional but it could easily be my problem only. Other than that - the book was perfect. Loved that their was truth weaved into the fictional story about the orphanage. It’s always fun to learn something when reading fiction.

Love love love this book. It travels between the present and back to 1920’s. It is based on the happenings at the Tennessee Children’s Home which was open from the 20’s till 1950 when scandal finally shut it down. It brings you full faced into the lives of some of the children from this home. It will break your heart. it will show how some good came out of this place of darkness . You will read interesting stories from both the children involved to the great granddaughter who is finding out truths. I did not want to put it down.

A family with five children living in the swamp in a shack is torn apart after their mother is ill and dies and their father flees. They are taken to a horrific orphanage where they are mistreated horribly.. The story toggles between their childhood and present time when a prominent SC woman begins to look for her family secrets and her possible connection to this family.

An emotional look into a long hidden secret. Wingate softly pulls the readers through the early childhood, the abduction, the separation, and adulthood. The story is well told and well developed. You find yourself emotionally vested in the characters.

I had heard a little about this tragedy many years ago. Reading a fictionalized account based on facts was helpful, as I was able to learn more about this horrific time in history. What a powerful novel!

An absolutely wonderful book by a favorite author, Lisa Wingate! I was totally immersed in the story. The characters came alive with Ms. Wingate's skillful writing.
I gave this book five stars and can't wait for her next one!

Lisa really brings the thought that children can be kidnapped right under a parent's eyes. This period piece is very detailed and you feel like you are right there with the children. Book clubs and historical fiction fans will especially like this book.

Be prepared for the ending of this book to confuse you and leave you with questions, yet fill your heart with hope.

Weaving this tale between present day Avery Stafford from a prominent southern political family and twelve-year-old Rill Foss, the eldest of a family of five children taken away from their family’s shanty boat the day after their mother goes into early labor with twin, and placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in the 1930’s.

After having been found roaming an old shopping mall, Avery’s Grandma Judy is moved to a premiere elder care facility, one that can cause political fallout for the family. It is while Avery is at a less prestigious facility, for a political event, that she runs into Mae Crandall, and during a visit to Mae’s room, Avery sees a picture, a picture of Judy. Avery’s curiosity is piqued. Who is Mae and how does she know Judy.

With Judy’s wandering mind and Mae telling her only bits and pieces, Avery starts her gentle nudging into Judy’s past and with the help of Trent Turner, who has paperwork for Judy’s eyes only, that came from his grandfather, Avery and Trent kindle a friendship and begin their dig that can upend both their lives and possibly the political future of the Stafford family.

Lisa Wingate does an amazing job of slowly revealing the Foss story. There are several times, when the reader will stop, think, back up a couple of pages, reread, then let out a heavy exhale with a giant “oh”. This book is intense and may involve a second reading to get all of the nuances that you did not think were important during your first time through. An excellent book for a group discussion since every person that I have spoken to has taken something different away from their reading. Whether it is enlightenment into each character or their further understanding of the historical events that inspired this book, there are endless discussions that can come from the telling of the Foss story.

Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss lives aboard a river shantyboat with her parents and siblings. To the outside viewer, it might look like she doesn’t have much, but Rill has everything she needs. However, life as she knows it changes one night when her father must rush her pregnant mother to the hospital. While alone with her siblings, strangers arrive and yank the Foss kids from their home and toss them into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. Despite false assurances that they will soon be reunited with their parents, the children soon discover the cruel truth. This forces Rill to fight to protect her siblings from a perilous and unknown world they can’t control.

South Carolina, present day. Born into affluence and prestige, Avery Stafford never dreamed her family tree could hide a scandalous history. But when a chance encounter with a senile woman stirs up questions, Avery works to track down her family’s long-held secrets — secrets that could destroy those she loves most or bring healing.

Heart-wrenching, riveting, and haunting, Before We Were Yours delivers an unforgettable tale that sticks long after the final page. Lisa Wingate pens a poignant and captivating tale of a disturbing time in history. Based on the real-life scandal of Georgia Tann, the director of an adoption organization that kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families, the story wrecks the reader while also proving impossible to set aside. Despite the hard topic, Wingate manages to weave a thread of hope throughout the tale.

Masterful storytelling, vivid settings, and raw, real characters ensured my total investment in the tale. I laughed, I cried, I suffered, I rejoiced, as I experienced the events right alongside the characters. Dual timeline stories are very rarely my cup of tea, and yet Wingate continually amazes and pulls me in with hers. For the romantics, though romance is not the dominant thread, a bit of a love story exists. I won’t give anything away, but he is amazing! I strongly recommend this novel.

This story was written in two different time periods and tied together beautifully. The characters were strong and nuanced and you really wanted the best for them. At one point I felt the orphanage scenes were tropish and over-the-top, but then I learned that it’s partially based on a true story. That absolutely floored me and haunted me for days afterwards.

This book reminded me quite a bit of Orphan Train, another historical fiction book that I fell in love with. I highly recommend this read. It was well written and I think it’s important to honor the memory of the children who went through these horrors by spending some time in their shoes.

I’ll be reading more books by this author. Well done.

This was a well written, well researched story that pulls you in, makes you cry,, cheer, hope and get angry all in the flip of a few pages. It also reaffirms the power of family bonds. The story is told in two stages - one that takes place in the early to mid 1900s when the real life scandal of Georgina Tann stealing children from poor families and selling them into adoption occurred. Ms. Tann had developed an unreal powerful network of well placed individuals in the “justice” and “family services” systems that allowed this scandal to rip apart families for many years . The second part of the story connects the reader to one of those stolen children today. That child, now an adult, goes on a journey to discover some uncomfortable truths about her past. The fictional piece of the story was weaved well into the historical aspect of it making this a compelling read.

This novel follows two plots. One takes place in 1939 and follows a young girl and her siblings after they're ripped away from their home and taken to an orphanage where everything is not as pleasant as prospective parents are led to believe. The other plot takes place in the present, following a young lawyer who stumbles upon a secret that her grandmother never meant to tell. The way these two story lines intertwine is beautiful and heartbreaking and I have no doubt this will remain one of the best books I read this year.

A moving, powerful novel! I cannot wait to introduce my students to this book!
The characters capture your heart and you find it hard to let them go when'
you finish the story. They stay with you.

Transport yourself to the deep south in this striking novel about family, mystery, and the magic of curiosity. It is never too late for family and you are never too old to have secrets.

Lisa Wingate has done it again! Even thinking about this book brings up strong emotions. It's hard to imagine that anything like this could have ever taken place, but it did and it makes me plain angry. While this was a fictional account, I totally believe these events could have happened. This book was a reminder that we have to watch out for those in this world that cannot fight for themselves. We have to protect them and be their voice. I couldn't get over the fact that people knew this was happening and turned a blind eye. I understand that money drives people, but to even imagine that someone could do this to children to make a profit is unfathomable. This story was beautiful and heartbreaking, a recipe for an amazing novel. It needs more attention and I highly recommend you find a copy soon!

This was a beautifully written, truly heartbreaking story that was made even worse when I realized that it was based on real life events. Lisa Wingate has done a fantastic job of making this history real with well written characters and a dual story line.


The book starts in 1939 when 12 year old Rill Foster lives on a shanty boat on the Mississippi river with her parents and 4 siblings. When the parents leave the boat (the mom is having problems delivering the newest member of the family), the boat is raided and the children are taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. Even though the children are told that they will be returned to their parents, the people who run the orphanage have plans to sell them to people who want to adopt children. Rill's story is built up in ever other chapter in the book. The present day main character, Avery, has returned home from NYC to help her father, a member of Congress, with his daily activities due to a health scare. She was born into a life of wealth and privilege but worked very hard to become a top notch lawyer in NY. She gets a hint of a secret in her family's past and won't be content until she solves her family mystery. Usually in two time line books, I like one story more than the other but I enjoyed Avery's story as much as I did Rill's.

This beautifully written, very well researched book will stay with you long after the last page has been read. Knowing that this is based on history and reading articles about it after I finished the book made the story even more heartbreaking.

This book is so special. I love it. It's based on actual events. Rill, Fern, Lark, Camellia, Gabion, they aren't real, but their story is. They were a family, then they were torn apart by one woman, a woman who was money hungry and had no heart. She stole children to sell to the rich. Her crimes were hidden by The Tennessee Children's Home Society. It ran from the twenties through 1950, the orphanage was not a loving place. It was a home of pain, neglect and even sexual abuse. Their story is beautifully told, It is lyrical, poetic, sweet, loyal, loving, it is a heart warming, love story between sisters. I loved their story, I loved the words the author put together to make their story and I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It is so beautiful.
First sentence: My story begins, on a sweltering August night, in a place I will never set eyes upon.
Last sentence: "I don't believe it ever should," Judy agrees, and we fall together in the sweet embrace of sisters, laughing at our own secrets.

For years the TN Children's Home in Memphis "rescued" children from poverty and poor living situations by kidnapping children from their homes and families. These children were then put in orphanages and adopted out for exorbitant amounts to rich and politically powerful families across the states. Some children simply disappeared, others died, and siblings were separated, This is the tale of such a family and the sisters who found each other as adults.