Before We Were Yours

By Lisa Wingate

Book Overview

THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT--Over two million copies sold! A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller

"Poignant, engrossing."--People - "Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation's history and weaves a tale of enduring power."--Paula McLain

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 fianc?, 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.

Publishers Weekly's #3 Longest-Running Bestseller of 2017 - Winner of the Southern Book Prize - If All Arkansas Read the Same Book Selection

This edition includes a new essay by the author about shantyboat life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425284700
• ISBN13: 9780425284704
• Release Date: May 2019
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Incredible Story! Read in 3 days.

This is a true heartbreaking and sad story but with resilience and true heart.

Very good read

Very sad but also very good

Beautifully written

The beginning felt slow- there were times I wanted to skip ahead. But overall I adored it

Outstanding human account of child trafficking adoption history

Had NO idea what I would be reading about when I bought this 2 years ago, but once you start reading you will have difficulty putting it down. Heartbreaking in some areas, but heart lifting in others, and a realistic inside look at what adopted children experience emotionally, as they are taken from one family and life and inserted into another one that differs so greatly....and the decades lived before finding a way to find...

Great read!

One of the best books I’ve read. Don’t miss it!