The author does an amazing job of telling the story of Georgia Tann, who along with many high ranking officals kidnapped children and adopted them out under the guise of doing "social work". As so often happens, the truth is slow to come out. Follow the heartwrenching tale of a young widow whose daughter is kidnapped by Miss Tann, and a young lawyer working for Miss Tann, who was willing to sacrifce so much in order to help in the search of Mrs. Dowd's missing daughter. Miss Tann and her cronies make good on their threats and their resouces run deep. Will little Millie be found alive?
While this story is placed in a past era, I think it still serves as a wake up call in our own time when so many children are exploited because of greed and pure evil.

The Pink Bonnet is the story of the lives ruined by Georgia Tann. Tann ran the Tennesse Children's home from 1924 to 1950. During that time, she stole thousands of children and sold them off to the highest bidder. This story is a fictional representation of what that was like for one mom - Cecile Dowd. Cecile was a widow doing her best to raise her daughter, Millie, on her own. Thanks to a nosey neighbor, Tann found out about their situation and took Millie.

I have read other novels about Tann and what made this one stand apart was the fact that people involved seemed more real than in other books. The evil people felt bad to the core. But there were also decent people involved who were making a lot of money off the stolen children - I liked that some of them realized how dirty the money was and tried to make changes.

There were some logical issues with the book that I wish would have been caught in editing, and maybe they will be before the final copy is published. I was reading an advanced reader copy. But at one point (I am being vague so as not to spoil anything), Cecile and Vance drive a car to a location. Then the vehicle is supposed taken from that location without either of them noticing. So, they walk to town because they have no car. But then, when they get to town, they get out of a car?? Something didn't add up there.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

During the Depression, many people lived in poverty, jobs were scarce, and money was tight! Cecile Dowd was a young widow, her husband had only died a year ago and he had left bills, Cecile could only get a part time job, and her three year old daughter Millie would not listen or sit still. Cecile left Millie with an elderly neighbor, Mrs. Ward for a few hours to look for a full time job, and when she returned to pick her up, Millie was gone! Mrs. Ward had mentioned the Tennessee Children’s Home Society Home as being a place where Millie could be watched until Cecile found a job, but Cecile had said no, Millie was her responsibility. Mrs. Ward had signed Millie over to Mrs.Tann, the director and she had taken Millie away! Cecile went to the Society building, but it was closed, so she resolved to go get Millie the next day! Cecile put on her best clothes and lipstick, and she went into Mrs. Tann’s office, telling her that Millie had not been surrendered, that a neighbor had signed the papers, but Mrs. Tann had called her a liar and an unfit mother, and that Millie was up for adoption. Now the only thing that Millie had to link her to Cecile was a pink bonnet! But Mrs. Tann’s legal assistant, Mr. Vance was with Mrs. Tann when Millie was taken, and he sensed that something was not right with Mrs. Tann’s methods and he confronted her about Cecile and Millie, but she told him to stay out of her business. Even the police and city officials are involved in Mrs. Tann’s evil schemes - read on to see what happens to Millie, Cecile, and the children!

Very good mystery and it is historically accurate as well! The characters are quite believable. The plot was quite involved, in fact in my opinion it was too detailed. It showed how some adoption agencies did operate in the past, but thankfully they don't now! Really interesting and worth the read!

GoodReads review under Jeannie Huie

I really enjoyed The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime. Fast paced with suspense and danger. An emotional read with a touch of romance. Unbelievable the kinds of things that so called good people will do for money and are able to get away with. Liz Tolsma did a great job bringing this book to life, with believable characters and settings. I look forward to more in this series.

I received a copy of this e-book from Barbour Books/NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime
This book is based on the true story of Georgia Tann and the crimes she committed against children and families during a difficult era of American History: The Depression. I had never heard of this story, so the book’s description intrigued me. The author did a wonderful job penning a fast-paced tale of suspense and faith, with a minor thread of romance. Georgia Tann made a great villain and was easy to dislike. The book is filled with many interesting characters and enough twists and turns to keep you interested until the very end.

I received a copy from the publisher through Net Galley. The opinions of this review are my own.

This is a story about child abduction. It is also about a mother's love and determination to find her daughter. A daughter that has illegally been kidnapped and adopted to the highest bidder. The intriguing part of the story is that there actually was a Tennessee Children's Home Society. This adoption agency was organized and run by the real person, Georgia Tann, in Memphis, Tennessee. She ran this agency from 1924 to 1950. An estimate of around 500 children were kidnapped and sold.
Some of her clients were, Joan Crawford, June Allyson and Dick Powell. Involved in this horrible enterprise were a Judge and a politician. These people helped her move the adoption process along with fake signatures.
Adoption is a wonderful thing. It brings children to parents and can make happy families.
This story is remarkable in melding a heartwarming story with true facts.

I almost decided not to keep reading it, the beginning want all that interesting. I'm glad I kept going! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it!! I was given a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is the second in a series of historical romance/mystery books, with the first one I read being The White City. The Pink Bonnet is set in the time of The Depression 1932 and centers on a young widow Cecile and her three-year-old Millie Mae. Struggling to support them, Cecile leaves Millie with a neighbor while she looks for full-time employment, but when she returns to pick her up Millie is gone. She’s been taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society as some part of an adoption situation. When Cecile goes down to their office, she’s told she’s not a fit mother to raise her child, and that besides, she has already signed her rights away. Knowing this isn’t true, Cecile swears to get Millie back from them, no matter what it takes. Miss Tann tries to convince her that Millie is far better off, that she will be placed with a family that can provide the best of everything. Cecile, who has already lost her husband, screams at her that it’s her daughter and she’s not losing her too, and a mother’s love matters.

This is a good story for those who like reading about historical American crime stories. Follow the story as Cecile fights an increasingly difficult and nasty battle to find and regain her daughter. This is in the mystery, romance, and the Christian categories, but it’s not that heavy on the religion angle. I don’t recall it even coming in until about nearly halfway, too. So if that bothers you, it’s not that overwhelming. I found it surprisingly enjoyable, and I don’t go out of my way for Christian books, I’m more of a true crime fan on its own. I was fine with it. It was worth it to learn about this Tann woman who was scamming people, along with a judge and a politician, who were all involved in helping Tann cover up the adoptions for selling children to the highest bidder for thousands of children back then. It was an outrage that should never have been allowed to happen, but many were corrupt back then, or willing to turn a blind eye. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Liz Tolsma, and the publisher.


RATING: 3.5 of 5 Stars

The Pink Bonnet is part of the new series, True Colors, which is of historical stories of American crime. It tells the story about widow Cecile trying her best to take care of her daughter. To her horror, her daughter is taken away and given to the Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society. She joins forces with Percy to find out where her daughter has gone to. In doing so, they find themselves in some dangerous situations that put their lives at risk. Will they find her little girl before it is too late?
The Pink Bonnet has got to be among my top five books I have read this year to date. I cannot believe this is based on true events. It is hard to imagine the horror that parents had gone through when they lost their children and not knowing where they went to or ever seeing them again. How sad and tragic.
I would give The Pink Bonnet one hundred stars. I highly, highly recommend this book.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

The Pink Bonnet definitely delivered the eerie and frighting feels that I was expecting from this story.  There were moments of suspense and danger as Cecile struggled to track down her abducted daughter.  The villain of this story, Gerogia Tann was simply terrible.  She was written so perfectly heinous and chilling that it really made me loathe her and long for justice to be served.  The level of corruption uncovered as Cecile and Percy search for Millie is simply tragic and seemingly hopeless.  However, Cecile never gives up hope and refuses to quit searching and I felt like that was really admirable. The end of the book really picks up pace and is actually pretty intense, which was great!  I was happily satisfied with the conclusion of this book when all was said and done. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves a historical mystery or suspense novel.

I loved this book. It is full of historical facts and fiction. A time in our history when women lost their children to underground adoption The children were stolen and sold This story is of a woman who fought back and found her child after going through some heartbreaking situations. She has an unlikely ally who helps her find her little girl. This is a moving interesting heart wrenching story. I could not put this book down! I had to find out what was on the next page.

The beginning of this book didn't draw me in, but I kept reading, and ended up liking it. I found the supporting characters--R.D., Darcy, Gladys--and their personal growth much more interesting than the main characters. When the other points of view began, I wondered it they were necessary in such a short novel, but I thought they added a lot to the story. I enjoyed learning about a setting and events I didn't know much about, and I'm looking forward to the next book in series.

In The Pink Bonnet, author Liz Tolsma tells of the pain, heartache, and horrors that happened as young children were kidnapped from their often poor families by Tennessee Children’s Home Society’s director Georgia Tann and then adopted to “more suitable” families. The children were often mistreated in their new placement. With many important government officials in her back pocket, Tann was able to get away with this for more than 25 years. Tolsma tells a fictionalized version of true events that happened in Tennessee during the 1930. She tells the story of widowed mother Cecile, who searches for her daughter Millie, who was signed over to Georgia Tann by a neighbor through forged signatures. Millie was then adopted to another family.

Fans of Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate will thoroughly enjoy this story. As a parent of young children, it broke my heart to read about the heartaches these children and mothers faced and how this practice was able to go on so long without government officials stopping it. This is a well written story by Liz Tolsma and one that I would recommend.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

4.5 stars

I’ve read a few things lately about the “business practices” Georgia Tann engaged in, which are appalling, so I was interested in reading this book (particularly as I’m a fan of Tolsma’s other books).

Cecile wants to do her best to provide for her daughter Millie Mae. As a single mother, it’s challenging to find a job, and Cecile allows her neighbor, Mrs. Ward, to watch Millie on occasion so she can look for a job. Cecile never expected to have her daughter signed away to Georgia Tann, who runs the Tennessee Children’s Home. Cecile is determined to do all she can to get her daughter back. Sadly, Cecile learns that she’s not the only mother to have her child stolen by Miss Tann. Cecile will need help, and attorney Percy Vance seems to fit the bill. However, is it already too late to save Millie?

To begin with, the cover grabbed my attention. It made me even more interested in reading the story. Then, the story grabs the reader even more with Cecile’s love and determination for her daughter Millie Mae (which may remind the reader of God’s love for us). Tann’s practices of trying to re-home children so have a better life are just horrifying and hard to imagine happening in the US. It makes you wonder how many people turned a blind eye to what was going on. The book does have a Christian message throughout, but it doesn’t overpower the story. The characters are well-developed, and the secondary characters are crucial to the plot, as well. It's an emotional read and one that may stick with the reader after the final page.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

REVIEW
The first thing that caught my interest about this book was the cover, the stark dark background, the homemade looking wooden rocking crib. The only colour on the cover being the pink bonnet which plays an important part in this story. I think the cover definitely does its job by pulling you in making you want to know where the child is and what has happened. The blurb then goes on catching and pulling you in more, which consequently pushes you into having a grave concern for the child who the crib and bonnet belong too. This book is also based on a true story and I admit I have watched a film based on the true events that inspired this book.

The main characters in this book are single mum Cecile Dowd, and her much loved three year old Millie Mae. Cecile’s husband sadly died and that means she is on her own looking after Millie Mae. Cecile’s family fell out with her over her choice of husband. Despite the fact he has now died and so no longer in her life they still return her letters unopened. Cecile has a part time job at a nursery but her savings and rapidly being used and her wages just aren’t enough for her and Millie to live on.
Cecile has to look for other jobs but then that means asking for help taking care of Mille Mae whilst she attends the job interviews.

Mrs Ward, her neighbour is a mixed blessing, she is a bit of adult company for Cecile and she will watch over Millie Mae whilst Cecile attends the job interviews, but she also has an opinion on everything and is nosey too. It is on one of these occasions that Mrs Ward is caring for Millie Mae that the old lady signs the three year old off to Miss Georgia Tann who runs the Tennessee Children’s Home. When Cecile returns home after her interview Mrs Ward reveals what she has done. Cecile cannot believe it and is naturally beside herself with a mixture of emotions. Cecile’s first thought is to get to the offices of Miss Georgia Tann and ask for Millie Mae back, but when she arrives the offices are closed.

Cecile tries numerous ways to gain an audience with Miss Georgia Tann to ask, plead and then beg for Millie Mae back. Miss Tann’s attitude is that Millie Mae will be much better off adopted by a two parent family who have a better financial standing than Cecile. It seems lots of people agree with Miss Georgia Tann and seem willing to turn a blind eye to the methods she uses to gain access to these children that she then sells to new parents. Cecile of course refuses to give up on Millie, and after trying to learn more about Miss Georgia Tann realises she is not the only parent to have her child stolen and sold on!

My favourite character within the whole book was of course Cecile, the way she continues to fight relentlessly to get her daughter back. Her persistence in seeing Georgia Tann. The way she eventually gains help from someone close to Miss Tann. Though Cecile is not rich in a monetary way she has overwhelming love for her daughter and that’s what keeps her going over the days, weeks etc it takes to find her daughter. I did also like the character of Percy Vance, who helps with all the legal paperwork needed to transfer the child from parent to orphanage and then to their new parents. It is Percy who uses his “inside” knowledge and his work acquaintance’s to trace the children Georgia Tann has literally ripped from their own biological parent to then sell to whomever she sees fit to sell them to. Percy Vance puts not only his job on the line but his life too! Miss Georgia Tann and her important friends are not eager to be found out and are not adverse to underhand tactics to get rid of anyone making a fuss about what they are up to.

Even though I had seen a film based on Miss Georgia Tann and her exploits, this book was still fascinating and intriguing, yet horrifying and implausible at the same time. It also makes you ponder what goes on behind closed doors nowadays. For if this harsh practice of removing children from their biological parents and then re-homing them with “better off” parents with “better homes” could happen back in the thirties it could quite well be happening these days too!

THE PINK BONNET by LIZ TOLSMA is a romantic, historical, crime novel that is a real eye opener. The exploitation of children, greed, injustice fraud and lies in high places are issues that are brought out in the book.
The story takes place in 1933 when Miss Tann of the Tennessee Children's Home Society literally stole children and sold them to parents who were desperate for a child. It is heart wrenching to know that she, and those in cahoots with her, got away with their crimes for years.
When three year old Millie Mae Dowd is taken from her widowed mother, Cecile is devastated and determined to find her precious little girl. Percy Vance, who works as Miss Tann's legal advisor, sees his boss's wickedness and sacrifices a lot to help Cecile in her search.
It is a well written book with a good Christian message running through it.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

"...there was nothing like a mother’s love, other than God’s love for His own children. Fierce. Determined. Protective."
Memphis, Tennessee in 1933 was a dangerous place for young children, especially those from poor families. This well-written tale based on the true crimes of Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children's Home Society was heart wrenching, yet not without hope.
The determination of Cecile to find her missing daughter was amazing. I like how the author parallels that to God's love for us. The action and suspense revved up in the last half with the desperate search for Millie and the truth of the wrongful adoptions from the shady agency. It had me reading faster to see how it would end! The choices people faced when confronted with the truth was telling of their hearts; they risked everything to right the wrongs done. It was complicated. Adoption always is complex, as the author points out, but at least today it is done very carefully. Interesting to think these crimes continued for so long. How very sad.

Recommend to readers who enjoy stories with historical interest, plus a clean romance and faith. 4.5 stars

This is an awesome book!! The author makes you feel like you are there. You can feel all of the emotions and see the scenes play out in your mind. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. If you are looking for book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, grab this book!! I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves christian historical fiction. Thank you Barbour Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Cecile is a good Mom . She is doing her best with 3 year old Millie Mae . Husband has died and money is tight. She leaves her little girl with a old neighbor lady just for a short time to find a better paying job. This is the biggest mistake of her life. Along comes the Mean Miss Tann... You will need to read as I do now want to spoil it.
I got this book for a honest review from Netgally. Honestly, I loved it. Honestly I been searching about this since
.Oh what a sad thing..