What a wonderful story. The storyline tore at my heart. As we travel through all the twists and turns to get to the truth. The journey keeps you on the edge of your seat A great page turner!

What a beautiful and heartwrenching book. Wanting to uncover the secret makes this book really hard to put down. It is hard to believe that places like this used to exist. The author has an extraordinary ability to effortlessly seam the multiple stories together, going back and forth in time.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this wonderful book in return for an unbiased review.

LIsa Wingate is an amazing author and storyteller....Loved every single page of this novel (including the cover art)...Cannot wait to read her next masterpiece.

Based on actual events, unfortunately. Rill and her siblings are living pretty unique childhoods in various stops along the Mississippi River. When their pregnant mother gets sick and their dad is forced to take her to a Memphis hospital, their lives are forever changed. They are taken, as part of an operation where Georgia Tann uses an adoption organization to steal children and sell them to families in need. Rill tries to keep her family together, while figuring out what happened to their parents, and what will ultimately happen to all of them. This one blew my mind!

I wasn't sure what to think of this story when I first started, but I quickly became engrossed! At times it was very hard to read, and it broke my heart. But then I found myself smiling again. Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for n advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. This is my review:

It took a while to really get into this book. When it began, I thought it was just some generic romance novel and almost put it down. The transitions from present day to the 1930s was confusing and I had a little trouble figuring out what was going on. I realize the current story had a purpose, but all the "when will they get married" "will she take her Daddy's Senate seat" was distracting, but it did give a little insight into just what the Staffords stand to lose.

In Memphis in 1939, two baby girls are born - one to an impoverished river family and another to a socially prominent family. When one is born dead, the doctor has a recommendation.........

It is a story that has been told many times, but this one is true, or at least based on true stories. It is sad beyond belief, and it was a good read.

Amazing characters and story line. Love the book. Will reread it.

A journey you'll never forget, Before We Were Yours is a literary work of art which will stand the test of time simply because of how poignant and heartbreaking it is. This is a story that will remind us as a society to not repeat our mistakes because it's the children and future generations who suffer the most.

The writing style was beautiful and well captured the characters' different voices while retaining that of its author. The struggle for identity, freedom, a place in society, and for the truth to be known despite how awful it was gripped me by the heartstrings and never once let up. I can see why this book has such long hold lists at various libraries across the United States. Hang in there, folks, because it's so worth the wait. You might want to have tissues at the ready too.

I'm not into politics at all, but Ms. Wingate penned the political side of this story in such a way that even I found it intriguing and easy to understand. That was one of the most impressive things to me about this book and its author, because it's not an easy feat to make me interested in the political thread of a book, movie, or reality. Well done, Ms. Wingate!

The atrocities committed against children in this story are heart-rending, and even more so because they are mere reflections of so many thousands of children's realities. My heart aches for what those poor souls went through, and my only comforts are that God saw their pain, sorrow, and tears, and that He is the One who doles out justice to those who commit crimes against children. May He be glorified through even this.

This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to know the real truth about adoptions in the 1920s through 1950s. It's not an easy read. It will break your heart. But believe me: It's completely worth it.

Content:
* alcohol
* child abuse (including sexual, though this is inferred and not explicitly shown)
* nudity
* two loose uses of God's name (it was unclear if they were in prayer or profane)

This is definitely one of the most compelling, poignant, and heart-rending stories I’ve ever read. Based on true events, Lisa Wingate paints a story that will stay with the reader for a long time. Her perfect pitch author voice captures the essence of Tennessee in 1939 and South Carolina in the present day. Masterfully weaving the story into a dual timeline, she seamlessly brings both tales into one amazing conclusion.
This book kept me enthralled from the first page to the end. Lisa Wingate is on my list of favorite authors, and you can see why if you read this book. She’s a very talented lady.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Rill and her siblings, along with their parents, are river people. They live on a boat and travel with the river. They don't have a lot of money but they love each other immensely. When Rill's mother, Queenie, begins to have trouble during one of her deliveries, Rill's father takes Queenie to the hospital to give birth to the twins and leaves the children at home, with Rill in charge. Before her parents can get home, Rill and her siblings are kidnapped and brought to Georgia Tann, a woman who brokers adoptions. Georgia Tann runs the Tennessee Children's Home Society and many of the children that she claims are orphans are very much loved children to alive, but usually poor, parents. Rill struggles to keep her siblings together while fighting off the abuses that she experiences at the boarding house she is entrusted to.

Avery Stafford is a gifted District Attorney who has traveled home to help out with her senator father after he has been diagnosed with cancer. She is about to fulfill the promise of marrying her childhood sweetheart and stepping into her father's shoes when she meets an older woman at a senior care facility who claims to know her grandmother, a woman who is suffering from dementia. When Avery brings up the encounter with the woman with her grandmother, her grandmother begins to act as if she remembers something but can't express what it is. Avery works to uncover the story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

The saddest part of this book is that it is based on a true story. Georgia Tann was a real woman who used her position to kidnap children from loving homes and then adopt them out to rich people in order to earn a hefty fee. I had no prior knowledge of this heartbreaking story before reading Wingate's book but I learned a lot reading it and her story encouraged me to do more research. Ms. Tann earned, in today's dollars, millions brokering adoptions with wealthy families and pocketing the adoption fees while ignoring abuse in the boarding houses that she left the children in.

Wingate's wonderful storytelling abilities made reading such a tragic story interesting and enjoyable. All of the characters have unique voices with Rill's being my favorite. Rill is such a strong girl, holding up her family at 12-years-old when the rest of her family is falling apart. I did not think that Avery's story added very much to this book and would have been happy with just the stories of Rill and her siblings. I would have liked to hear more about them and it seemed as if the book ended somewhat abruptly, without as much information as I would have liked to have. This could have just been because I fell so much in love with the characters, though, that I felt like I had to know everything about them.

I loved this book and believe anyone who enjoys historical fiction would also like this book. It was not a depressing book. It was a sad story but it had enough hope to keep me interested. This is a sad part of our history that I think people should learn more about. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys historical fiction or southern fiction.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was really engrossed in this book and found myself staying up late to get to the ending and figure out how these people all fit together. Of course, it isn't much of a mystery to figure out how May Crandall fits in with Avery Stafford's family, but I was dying to know the details.

This book was emotional and made me cry multiple times. I'm a crier by nature, but still, proceed with caution. The author did a wonderful job capturing how the children in this sham orphanage must have felt, but I did feel like she glossed over things. I would have liked to know more about the rest of these children's lives, and how they fit into their new families, grew over time, and then eventually found their roots.

This book is fiction but based on true events. While I certainly connected with the fictional characters depicted here, I do think that some of the story was a little too convenient for such a messy situation. The Avery/Elliot/Trent love triangle was maybe a little unnecessary and too easily resolved.

I do stand by my 4-star rating because the story was wonderful overall, but I do think the situation could have been better served by not glossing over details.

It often boggles the mind to realize all of the greed and corruption present in everyday life that affects the lives of innocents who find themselves caught up in the machinations of diabolical minds who would stoop to any level, including kidnapping young children in order to fulfill their avarice. Lisa Wingate’s BEFORE WE WERE YOURS is historical fiction based on the real-life Tennessee Children’s Home Scandal that continued from the late 1930’s to 1950 in which Georgia Tann, the director of the Memphis based operation kidnapped and sold poor children, preferable blond, to the rich and famous all over the country (including the likes of Mommy Dearest Joan Crawford and Dick Powell & June Allyson).

Wingate presents correlating tales set in both the 1930’s and present day that examines Georgia Tann’s dirty laundry and the resulting fallout of her deeds. Representing the various stories of children caught up in the actual case, Wingate has created the Foss family, five children taken from their home on the river and placed in “the system” that was supposedly going to save them but instead committed them to a series of abuses and separation from parents who, although poor, loved and cared for them. Rill Foss the eldest Foss child (12 years old)and designated protector of her younger siblings is a compelling heroine who can tap into seemingly bottomless reserves of strength when push comes to shove but, as a child herself, feels overwhelming guilt when she fails .

In the present Avery Stafford, lawyer daughter of wealth and progeny of a politically connected South Carolina family returns home to assist her ailing Senator father in his run for re-election finds herself embroiled in a baffling mystery when she meets Mae Crandall while touring a local nursing home during a leg of the campaign stomp. Mae seems to recognize her and the bracelet Avery is wearing. Avery too notices something in Mae’s room, an old group photo whose female images strongly resemble both she and her elderly grandmother Judy.

Wingate paints a vivid picture of the sordid cycle of poverty and reminds us of the evil of men and women all too willing to exploit the innocent and desperate with a story that is both gut-wrenching and compulsively readable. Note that certain assumptions must be made by the reader concerning the fate of certain members of the Foss family since they are inferred rather than spelled out.

PLEASE NOTE: Not all is gloom and doom and for those who enjoy a bit of romance in their reads, Wingate has provided that as well.

This book provides fascinating insight into a horrible time in American history. Wingate brings it to light with care and adds a human element to the tale. I am so glad I read it though it was quite sad. I received this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I had no idea that this was something that happened to so very many families. It is just heartbreaking. This is a put everything on hold and run to read it now type of book. I just cannot stop thinking about it and cannot find the words to explain just how much this book gutted me. I wish I could give it ten stars! I have thought about this story so many times since putting the book down and I think I may read it again soon...that is something I seldom ever do.

This book follows the Foss family (fictional) and their struggle to understand the horror that has become their life at the hands of Georgia Tann (real) and the horrible people who work for her. We follow the story through the eyes of young Rill in the past as well as a present day young woman named Avery who is learning all about the mystery of these events.

Please, if you have not read this, do.

*Thank you to Lisa Wingate, the publisher and Netgalley for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Before We Were Yours jumps back and forth between 2 timelines – Rill Foss in 1939 and Avery Stafford in the present day. When her parents have to go to the hospital when her mom has birthing complications, they ask twelve-year-old Rill Foss to take care of her younger sisters and brother in their absence. The next morning, however, Memphis police come to their boat and take the 5 of them away to be put in an orphanage. Federal prosecutor Avery Stafford has come to South Carolina to help her senator father after he is diagnosed with cancer. A chance encounter at a nursing home leaves Avery questioning her family's history.

It is horrifying to think that while the Foss children were fictional, there were hundreds or maybe even thousands of real children under the control of Georgia Tann ripped from their families, living in horrible conditions, and even dying. It felt like the author tried to balance the horrors of Rill's story with affluence and the seemingly “perfect” life in Avery's story. I had hoped for the first half of the book that Avery's story wouldn't turn into the cliché where the modern woman in the dual timeline meets her true love while researching whatever mystery from the past. I was a little disappointed when that turned out to be the case, but it was my only complaint with the book. Overall, it was a well-written and engaging book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
An astounding work of fiction based on true events, this book touched my heart in a very profound way. It is beautifully written and moves seamlessly between 1939 and present day. Parts of the book feel as though they couldn't have really happened and then one is told the facts upon which the book is based and realize that they really do not stretch reality. The characters are beautifully developed and it is easy to become totally involved in their stories.

This book tugs at the heart because it's based on an actual tragedy that was ongoing in the Memphis area for 30 years. Poor children were stolen from their families and "sold" to wealthy, well-connected families is the name of "adoption." Wingate is a former journalist and it shows in her attention to historical facts. But it is her skill as a storyteller that makes" Before We Were Yours" a compelling read. This is a story about the power of family connections, love and commitment that will keep you turning the pages. Just keep a box of tissues nearby.

BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate (Ballantine Books, June 2017)

What makes this book particularly stunning and memorable is that it’s based on truth. Wingate’s research into the horrific history of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, which essentially stole children from their impoverished parents and sold them to wealthy families, is important. The story of this organization needs to be told, and Wingate tells it skillfully, through the perspective of two fictional characters whose lives intertwine: the young girl Rill, growing up in Memphis in 1939, and the young woman Avery, living in present-day South Carolina. Avery’s story is the less interesting of the two — it’s predictable in places and not overly compelling. But Rill is a wonderful heroine — strong and smart, with an unbeatable spirit. She pops up right out of the book and straight into your heart.

Even though the story is fiction based on fact, it is a heart wrenching read. I enjoy historical stories and know that children really were taken and treated horribly. This story will stay with you. I love the cover!

From 1924 through 1950, Beulah George “Georgia” Tann ran the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, from a stately home on Poplar Avenue in Memphis, TN.

Tann used it as a front for an illegal foundling home and adoption agency that placed over 5,000 newborn infants and children, from toddlers up to age 16, to sell to what Ms. Tann called “high type” families in 48 states.
She used manipulation, deception, pressure tactics, threats, and brute force to take children from mainly poor single mothers in a five-state area to sell to unsuspecting wealthy parents.

This true event at the Tennessee Children’s Home lies at the heart of Wingate’s newest novel. It begs the question – Do you really know your family history? Do you know what secrets are buried, that if exposed, could change your whole perspective on who you are and where you came from? What would you do if you suddenly found out something that could turn your life upside down? Could you live a life chosen for you rather than the life you were born to live?

The story unfolds in two voices – Avery Stafford, young, beautiful, and living the high-life in present day South Carolina and Rill Foss and her four siblings afloat their father’s scrap lumber shanty-boat in 1939 Memphis, Tennessee. As these two stories unfold, secrets and mysteries of the past are revealed that will forever change both of their lives.

Present day. . . Aiken, South Carolina
Wells Stafford, like his father before him, is known for his long and distinguished political service in the Senate. Senator Stafford is currently struggling after a cancer diagnosis threatens not only his life, but the traditions and lifestyle of his family. Is it time to groom his beautiful “brainiac” daughter to be his replacement?
While touring a local nursing home facility on her father’s behalf, Avery spots a photograph of four women; one of the ladies bears a striking resemblance to her Grandmother Judy. Why would this patient, May Crandall, have a picture of her grandmother? Avery’s inquisitive nature sends her on a mission to discover how this patient and her grandmother know each other.

As Avery Stafford is stalked by a staff of social secretaries and races through a power packed daily schedule day after day, she finds herself nagged by the picture of her grandmother frolicking with three strange women on a beach.

She begins to sneak time between photo shoots and ribbon cuttings to search for clues that eventually lead her to her family home on Edisto Island. What she finds there changes everything she thought she knew about herself and her future.

Memphis, Tennessee backwater, 1939
Briny and Queenie Foss, along with their five children, live the shantyboat life floating from river to river scrounging and hustling as needed to survive. Our shanty boat narrator, Queenie’s twelve-year old daughter, begins her story with her mother near death laboring to deliver twins aboard the boat. It soon becomes obvious that Queenie will die if she isn’t taken to a hospital for care and Briny makes the decision to take Queenie to town. He is forced to leave the younger children alone in the dead of night with his eldest daughter in charge. As the children hunker down terrified, fearful of bandits and mischief makers, the police arrive and take the children off the boat telling them they are taking them to see their parents. The confused and traumatized children are taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home where they are given new names and subjected to unimaginable horrors intended to break the children’s bond to the past.

While Avery searches for answers, May Crandall reminisces about life in 1939 and beyond.

She muses on her childhood life on the shanty boat with her free-spirit parents viewing it all through rose-colored glasses; right up until the happy times for the Foss family ended abruptly. Her fictional memories of the dark world at the Home will traumatize the reader with the truth that actually happened to real life children. Children forced to live in squalor and horror in the shadows and paraded in public as perfect models of angelic behavior for adoption to the highest bidder.

With each secret uncovered, Avery and May’s stories blend toward an inevitable revelation.

Blogger Thoughts . . .
The ending was obvious to me right from the beginning. There’s usually some misdirection to keep the reader engaged and in this case, I found myself staring at the incredible treatment of children as incentive enough to keep reading.
The segments on the Children’s Home were hard to read. I was hospitalized as a child and saw my first example of child cruelty in the bed next to mine. I’ll spare you the details but it was horrible.
It was difficult to rate the book. In the end, I found myself thinking a lot about the underlying theme that children’s futures are predetermined by the circumstance of birth. Can a child with memories of one life ever resolve what might have been had something dramatic not intervened and changed the course of their life? Can the past stay in the past? How will a future be affected by the past? Will secrets protect or harm future generations?