Before We Were Yours: A Novel
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents--but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility's cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals--in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
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Readers say *Before We Were Yours* is a well-written, emotionally resonant historical novel that shines a light on the Tennessee Children’s Home Socie...
1939 Memphis-Twelve year old Rill Foss is the oldest of 5 children living with her parents on a Mississippi River shanty boat. When her mother, Queenie, goes into labor and needs to be rushed to the hospital, Rill is left in charge. But something isn't right when strangers arrive and the children are taken away from all they know and are taken to the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage. Present day Aiken, SC-Avery Stafford lives a life of wealth & privilege. She is a federal prosecutor, engaged and groomed to take her father's Senate seat. While returning home to help her father, she has a chance encounter with an elderly woman at a nursing home. This sets her off on a quest about her own family history. I really liked the chapters about Rill and how she tried to keep her siblings all together. Her story was more interesting and flowed better than Avery's. Obviously, I knew the 2 stories would be connected somehow but honestly I am not entirely sure how they are. Might be because I didn't like Avery's story as much so I didn't read as thoroughly and probably missed something! :)
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