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.

Before We Were Yours is written by Lisa Wingate and is based off of a real-life child adoption ring, where Georgia Tann, the director of an adoption organization based in Memphis, would kidnap poor children from their families and sell them to wealthy families all over the country. Reading the accounts of the children living in dirty, unsanitary, and precarious situations was heartbreaking. Rill is forced to grow up so quickly, and as much as she fights to save her siblings and keep them close, something always comes up against her.

Reading this brought up some big feelings for me for two reasons: 

• I imagined someone taking our children away from us just because they didn’t see us as fit to be parents. I imagined what my kids would go through, not only being separated from us, but then being separated from one another. And just the thought nearly tore me in two. 
• I thought about my paternal grandmother. When she was just a girl, her dad left and her mom died. She and her brother were tossed around from place to place, and eventually separated because nobody wanted to take them together. While she was somewhat able to maintain a relationship with him, she was sent to the United States and he remained in Cuba. She mourned the lost relationship with her brother for their entire lives – even after she learned of his death. 

Lisa Wingate has written a heart-wrenching story that tells about the atrocities of this villainous character, but also about the ties that bind us together. It’s a story about connection, roots, and understanding where you come from. I thought it was beautifully written and I really found myself completely immersed in the story. I highly recommend checking this one out. 

xoxo, 

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