I loved Before We Were Yours. I live about 30 minutes from Memphis on the other side of the Mississippi. I toured Elmwood Cemetery about a month before that book came out and the marker they have there had caught my eye. When I read the book was about that, I immediately went out to buy it. I had the pleasure of meeting Lisa at Elmwood and it was a fascinating talk. This book answers a lot of questions I had and I enjoyed reading the stories that Lisa and Judy gathered. I can't wait to meeting them in Memphis again when discussing this book.

This book deals with adoptions of many children who were taken from their parents without their consent, stolen from their homes or hospitals. Many were from unwed mothers who had no means to care for them. It's a very emotionally charged true story of a woman who made herself wealthy from the unorthodox ways in which she adopted out these children. I was on the edge of my seat hoping for good outcomes for these children, possibly being reunited with their birth families at some point. To realize that this was happening right here in the U.S. was an outrage to me!

Kudos to Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate on the writing of this book. I read the 5 star book Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate earlier and was so happy to find out that Before and After had been written. Many thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book which is to published on 10/22/2019. I would suggest reading Before We Were Yours first, although this is a stand alone book. I gave this book a big 5 stars for all of the research done and the wonderful way it was all compiled to tell their real life stories.

Wow - what else is there to say about this book? I originally read Before We Were Yours and was incredibly moved to find out that it was based on true events. Now having read this follow-up, it just gutted me. To know that there are still people out there who are struggling because of this historical malpractice, its devastating. So incredibly grateful that Judy and Lisa took the time to write this book and shine a light again, further on these poor people.

The nonfiction follow up to Lisa Wingate's wildly popular "Before We Were Yours" .
Lisa's book started the ball rolling in reuniting a lot of people with their families and it's still continuing today.
The truth comes out as people that were adopted from The Tennessee Children's Home Society from the 1920's to 1950's tell their stories. So many of the children placed there were stolen when desperate mother's thought they were just placing their children there until they got back on their feet. Once the children were in the TCHS they were never returned to their parents. Georgia Tann ran the TCHS like a business, someone wanted a child, she made sure there was a child there with their specifications and believe me the adopting family paid dearly for them too, many times over the state adoption fee.
Reading the stories in their own words, the people that were adopted tell their stories.
Many remember their birth parents and being torn from siblings to never see them again.
There are stories of people after decades of being apart how they came to be reunited with birth parents and siblings. Many though are still searching for their original families and it has affected their whole lives. It's truly heartbreaking what Georgia Tann has done to families, all in the name of greed!
Expected publication: October 22nd 2019 by Ballantine Books.
I was given a complimentary copy. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This is an account of the children that passed through the Tennessee Children's Home Society, that was run by Georgia Tann. Georgia Tann had many people in office that were more than happy to turn a bling eye to her adoption agency. She had a network of doctors, social workers, boarding house owners and even a governor.
Through this she was able to adopt out or sell children out of the TCHS. These children were either legitimately obtained or kidnapped. Their names were changed and parents names were changed.
Due to the chaos of all the paperwork, when the adoption records were finally opened, factual information was hard to come by.
The children too sick to adopt out were buried in the Homes grounds after death.
This book tells of the struggles some children had growing. The difficulty in knowing who their family were and even a sense of belonging in their adopted family.
These are stories told in their own words.

I have been looking forward to this book since I read Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours in 2017. Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate have co-authored another heart wrenching book about the children whose lives were affected by Georgia Tann and the home she operated known as the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.
It brings to light the manner in which the children were processed. These are their stories in their own words.

An absolutely wonderful follow-up to Before We Were Yours by Ms Wingate. It shows how fiction can affect so many lives in such a poignant way. Kudos to the authors for bringing about this reunion of survivors.

Loved this beautifully written book. If you have read and loved Before We Were Yours, you must follow it up with Before and After. This novel is so well written and will give you all the feels. Highly recommend!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Before and After” is a follow-up book to Lisa Wingate’s “Before We Were Yours”. It continues to tell the story of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and the infamous Georgia Tann, only the stories told in this book aren’t fiction but interviews conducted and put together to show the agony and horror of what really happened when children were stolen to be sold for adoption. With amazing, heartbreaking details and descriptions, the siblings who find each other and share bittersweet reunions share their stories through tears and honesty. Heartbreaking but full of inspiring hope, this account of the truth will stay with readers’ hearts long after they’ve finished the book.

A wonderful nonfiction companion to the novel Before We Were Yours. The stories of real adoptees from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society are touching and unforgettable.

I read Lisa Wingate’s and Liz Tolsma’s (The Pink Bonnet) fictional accounting of this horrible crime so I was delighted when this book was offered. I enjoyed reading Before and After, it was tastefully written and informative. I recommend it as well as the two fictional accounts. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Having been captivated by the fictional story Before We Were Yours, I was very interested in picking up this follow-up nonfiction work. This book came about as a result of the author's book tour as the real life victims of Georgia Tann approached her with their stories. While some of the children were actually "helped" by their adoption, all of the children (now senior citizens) were remarkable impacted by the manner in which they entered the system. If you enjoyed the fictional account, this is definitely a must read.

When I read Before We Were Yours I knew it was a novel that would stay with me. Before We Were Yours is a fictional book based on a factual situation that centered around Tennessee Children’s Home Society Orphanage and the heinous, Georgia Tan, who ran the whole operation.

I was so moved to learn that Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie went one step further and wrote Before and After which give us the real life accounts of 15 of the children that were adoptees from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society Orphanage while Georgia Tan ran her immoral, illegal, and unthinkable business. Throughout this novel we get exactly what the title says, the before and after of the children’s stay at the orphanage. How they ultimately ended up there and what happened long after they were adopted.

I found myself so emotionally connected to the children (now adults) in this book!! Before and After was such a powerful novel that weighed heavy on my heart. I am in awe at the candidness and strength of the 15 adoptees! Before and After is a 5 star read that was both riveting and impactful. I highly recommend both Before We Were Yours and Before and After!!

I received this book "Before and After" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I did read "Before We Were Yours" a while ago and loved the book. This book Before and After was good. You get to see what happened to some of the people who were affected by the adoption process. Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis was not doing things the right way with the adoptions. She made money and stole children. It would help to read Before We Were Yours before you read this book. I thought it was interesting.

True stories of the victims of a black-market baby business.
Lisa had researched, but upon releasing book a ripple awareness spread beyond anyone's expectations.

How could 1 woman perform these horrific crimes with no consequences or punishment?

Adoptee victims have conflicting emotions with their pasts, their biological family, their adoptive family, and
the multiple generations affected.

Stories behind the Story - Before We Were Yours
Open book.
Closed book.
Each person creates our own life story, one we tell ourselves and others - or not tell.
Our stories live on.
These stories matter.

If you enjoyed 'Before We Were Yours,' you must read
additional follow-up and research of the dark, sad history.

Heart wrenching to read this books as a follow up to Who We Were Before. Western culture, for whatever reason, really hates women and their children. During the same time period as Tennessee Children's Home Society, there were the Magdalene Laundries to ostracize and punish women and their children in Ireland, the Orphan Trains here in the U.S., and the Home Children in England. To say nothing of the poor who were harmed by Eugenics movement here in the U.S (but also used by Hitler and the Nazi's to eliminate undesirable persons). Sad world. How anyone could have condoned destroying families, separating children from their parents, and think that was some how better for all concerned, boggles the mind. Even when parents and children are reunited, it doesn't make up for all the time lost. Tragic. Sad to think this is still on going today, somewhere, I'm sure. great book.

A heart wrenching read of lives that were changed due to Tann’s greed and evil along with corrupt politicians. Most are way into their senior years now, and while many lived really good lives with their adoptive families, a few suffered from the emotional trauma handed down from their parents and then on to their own children. Definitely a good read for all who read Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
Thanks to the Publisher for reaching out to provide the ARC through Netgalley.

If you read and loved Lisa Wingate’s book, “Before We Were Yours”, this is a must read for you. It is a follow-up book that reveals the true stories of adoptees who contacted the author after reading her fictionalized account of one family’s search for family.

Judy Chirstie and Lisa Wingate did a marvelous job telling the stories with sensitivity and kindness. They present story after story of some of the last of the survivors of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society run by the notorious Georgia Tann. The stories will tug at your heart as you try to imagine the horrors those children experienced , and as they search for the answers to the question, “Who Am I”. You will rejoice with them as they meet other adoptees who suffered the similar fates and begin the journey of healing. For many of the children this meeting is the first time they have ever met another survivor of that orphanage. For many it is the first time they have fully disclosed their life story. Even to their own family members.

Once I started reading the book, I could not put it down.

A special thank you to Random House and Net Galley for allowing me to preview this book.

#BeforeandAfter#NetGalley

For readers of Lisa Wingate’s, Before We Were Yours, this is a must read. Judy Christie takes you on a journey with a number of survivors (and their families ) of the Tennessee Children’s Home and the adoption scandal that took place in that state for almost 30 years. A heartbreaking yet wonderful story of resilience and tenacity. A cross section of those who thought they had wonderful adoptions and those that did not. Also heartwarming was how the individuals came together, bonded, and maybe had some healing. Some really emotional stories! The only unfortunate thing is that the culprit in all this, “Miss Tann”, who stole thousands of children, separated them from their parents, and profited mightily did not get her comeuppance. As one adoptee said, “ “maybe she is rotting in hell”.

‘Before and After’ is written with the heartbreaking touches of Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate.
This true story helps bring some closure to the children that were stolen and the families that were destroyed by Georgia Tann and The Tennessee Children’s Home Society in the late 1920’s through the late 1940’s.
It still leaves us with the same question...how could one woman be so evil as to steal babies from poor families?
If you’ve read ‘Before You Were Mine’, this is the must read follow up.