Before We Were Yours: A Novel

Written by Lisa Wingate

Narrated by Emily Rankin and Catherine Taber

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 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.

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

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781524780685

Lisa Wingate

Selected among Booklist's Top 10 lists for two consecutive years, where she was called 'quite simply, a master storyteller', Wingate is known for weaving lyrical writing and unforgettable settings with elements of traditional storytelling, history, and mystery to create novels that Publisher's Weekly calls 'Masterful' and Library Journal refers to as 'a good option for fans of Nicholas Sparks'. Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty-five novels. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol Award nominee, a multiple Christy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RT Booklovers Magazine Reviewer's Choice Award Winner for mystery/suspense. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.

[mstone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent book!! Times a little hard to listen to because of the details it broke my heart being a mother and a grandmother and hearing these things, and knowing that these are truths of some families. But the book was so realistic I felt like I was there with them. A very good book.

[Joyce Harout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. The back and forth timeliness was a bit confusing but once I got over it, the story was fabulous.

[smits_52 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Based on true historical events. In “ Before we were yours”, a poor but well loved family is living on a riverboat.As the mother goes into labor, they have to leave the children alone to get to a hospital. The children left alone are taken by police who give them to the Tennessee Children’s home which is a cruel, horrible place that sells children although they call in adoption. The story of these “ River children “ as told by Rill( who becomes May) is sad and seems unbelievable except these things actually happened and were orchestrated by Georgia Tann in real life between 1930s up to the 1950s. It’s incredible to believe.

[spoko_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not very well written (the show:tell ratio is pretty low), and the characters are pretty one-dimensional. The two storylines are each somewhat interesting—the one about the kids themselves more so than the one set closer to present day. I also have to say, though, I was bothered by a nagging sense that the author believes genetics are really destiny. That our family history determines who we really are. There was a lot of talk about heritage, one way and another, in ways that seemed to rely on such a premise. I can’t bother to support that with actual passages, but it was my sense, and I found it off-putting.

As an “issue” novel, I suppose it could have been worse. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t care much for it, either. Were it not for a book club, I doubt I would have finished it. (Though, to be fair: if it weren’t for a book club, I doubt I would have started it.)

[muumuumousie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There isn’t much to say about this book that hasn’t already been said. It’s everything people say it is: stunning, powerful, horrifying, sad. The well-crafted characters feel like they could be real, and the attention to detail is superb. The evocative settings add a great deal to the story, and the riverboat, the Arcadia, is practically another character. Wingate does a masterful job of revealing the mystery bit by bit; furthermore, the framing device, with the present-day storyline, really works well. The background characters add quite a bit to the story, and one of them, in particular, stayed with me until well after the last page. The protagonists are strong and brave, and I was rooting for Rill throughout this tale. The tension builds quickly and stays high. There’s just the right mix of despair and hope. Some parts are even uplifting, to a point. And there’s just so much sorrow. A beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking novel.

[janoorani24 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a heartbreaking book, even though some things are resolved in the end.

The story is read by two narrators who each voice a character telling the tale of the real-life Tennessee Children's Home Society, an adoption agency in Memphis, which notoriously used kidnapping and lies to steal poor children from their parents and essentially sell them to wealthy parents from the 1920's to 1950.

The earlier timeline relates the story of fictional twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings who live aboard their family’s Mississippi River shanty boat. In 1939, their father must rush their mother to the hospital, and Rill is left in charge. The next morning, Memphis police (the director of the orphanage paid police to round up children for her) arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are told they will soon be returned to their parents, but it doesn't take long for the two older children, Rill and ten-year-old Camellia, to realize the awful truth -- there is no getting out of what is essentially a prison. The children are slowly broken apart and given up for adoption to wealthy families in other parts of the country.

The later story tells the tale of Avery Stafford, a successful prosecutor who has recently returned to Aiken, SC to help out her ill father and his Senate campaign. While visiting a nursing home with her father, she stumbles upon a mystery involving a woman who claims to know her grandmother. Avery's story isn't as interesting and her part of the narration drags in places. But it serves to bring the story of the Foss children up to the present day, while also telling the dark history of the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

The narrator who voiced Rill was fantastic -- I felt the story was greatly improved by her narration. Avery's narrator wasn't as good, but she told Avery's story well. I sometimes wished I could have read those parts, since I read faster to myself than she could narrate, and I wanted to get back to Rill's story as fast as I could.

All in all, a good book and I give it 4 stars in LibraryThing, though I gave it 5 stars on Audible.

[estherfilbrun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Of the 30-some books I’ve read so far this year, this book has broken my heart the most…I’m the kind of person that never cries, but phew! This one brought me pretty close a few times. Over the years, I’ve heard a few things about the history this book covers, so that part wasn’t too much of a surprise to me. The depth of the atrocities committed, though, was new to me, and, presented through the lens of characters I quickly grew to love, this made for an unforgettable read in more than one way.

Lisa Wingate crafts a deep, engaging story in these pages. I was amazed, all the way through, just how much I felt like I was “there”. Some books take me a good few chapters to get into; with this one, I was “in” right away. I felt like I was a river girl alongside Rill on her shantyboat; I was one of the spectators sitting beside Avery in the nursing home. The atmosphere and description were spot-on in this book; not enough to weigh it down, but the perfect amount to pull you into the scenes. And then there are the characters…each of the main characters was dynamic, the kind of people you could easily become friends with. I think I related to Rill more than Avery, but only slightly more. Both were well-drawn, and both carried my full sympathies throughout the book!

The family element was one of my favorites. I loved how Rill fought for her siblings, and did her best to protect them, even though she was just a young girl herself. I also loved how Avery did her best to support her family, even though it wasn’t what she really wanted to do.

This isn’t an easy story; because of the history, there are some very evil things alluded to at times. But each instance is handled with a lot of tact and care, which I appreciated.

If you enjoy well-written historical fiction, check this book out. It’s powerful, it’ll bring you to tears, but it’s worth it.

[booklover1801 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Before We Were Yours" was inspired by a shameful episode in our country's history. Starting in the 1920s, the greedy and malevolent Georgia Tann operated the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. She earned a fortune from a shocking scheme backed by Tann's network of wealthy and influential individuals. Her scouts searched for infants and children to kidnap and she sold many of these youngsters to wealthy couples for a hefty fee. As if this weren't bad enough, thanks to poor nutrition and substandard health care, quite a few of the boys and girls who were housed in this institution died.

Lisa Wingate introduces us to Briny and Queenie Foss and their five children, who live on a shantyboat on the Mississippi River. In a flashback to 1939, twelve-year-old Rill describes her family's unconventional existence. The Fosses have little money, but they love one another and somehow manage to make ends meet, albeit barely. When Queenie is about to give birth to twins, she needs emergency medical attention, and Briny takes her to a hospital. While he is gone, the authorities spirit Rill and her siblings away to the Tennessee Children's Home.

We fast forward to the present, with thirty-year-old federal prosecutor Avery Stafford being groomed for political office and planning to marry Elliot, a man she has known since childhood. When she stumbles upon clues that point to a mystery concerning her dad's mother, Judy, Avery's curiosity is piqued and, with the help of the handsome and goodhearted Trent Turner, she uncovers long-hidden secrets. The author's writing is evocative and poetic, her villains are despicable, and we are stunned when Avery and Trent uncover details about an incredible chapter in their grandparents' past. Although "Before We Were Yours" is a bit too long and rambling, its themes are poignant and powerful. Wingate stresses the value of preserving facts and memories that shed light on our heritage; the horrific consequences of child abuse; and the ways in which avarice, corruption, and selfishness destroy innocent lives. Shockingly, The Tennessee Children's Home was not shuttered until 1950, and its records remained sealed until 1995.

[anniekmd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a dual timeline story set in the Southern US. The modern-day tale involves our female protagonist (of a high-profile political family) trying to learn about the history of her grandmother, now suffering from dementia. The earlier set story (in the 1940s?) centers on the grandmother as a child, when she was a victim of the Tennessee Children's Home Society’ scam involving the sale of “orphans”. This plot stemmed from a shocking true-life scandal. I felt that the story dragged on and felt repetitive. The characters seemed to always be having the same thoughts and worries, with slow advancement of the plot. And it was a little too sappy for my tastes. (I listened to it on an audiobook.)

[judithrs · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Before We Were Yours. Lisa Wingate. 2017. What a sad, horrifying novel! It is based on the life of Georgia Tann who ran an adoption scam for years. She kidnapped children, tricked parents into turning their children over to her, told parents their newborn baby died. She fooled the authorities and had their blessing as they thought she was providing care to abandoned children. Avery, a bright, attractive attorney goes home to help her father with his re-election campaign. When she goes to visit her grandmother in a nursing home, She is stopped by a strange woman who grabs her hand. She becomes interested almost obsessed with finding out all about the woman. As she delves into this woman’s life she learns about Tann and her hideous operation. A bibliography is included if anyone wants to read further.

[jillhannah-910468 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh wow, this is one of those books I read as slowly as I could toward the end, not wanting to finish it!
It is a book I may re-read again to put myself back inside this wonderful story.

I love historical fiction especially if it is based on things that really happened. In this case. Rill and her younger siblings face a similar tragedy as what happened in real life to thousands of other children back in the 1920's to about 1950. Georgia Tann ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society during those years. Lisa Wingate takes that portion of history and weaves a tale that volleys back and forth from those years to present day.

You'll fall in love with Rill, one of the main voices in the story, her resilience, and her love for her parents and siblings.
And you'll want to read it again.

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We had an interesting book discussion on this novel at one of my two RL book clubs. It was based on the true story of the (canned description) "Tennessee Children's home Society in Memphis, which existed from 1920's and closed down in 1950. Georgia Tann was the ring leader, and many police officers and state officials all either participated or turned a blind eye. She made millions from kidnapping children from the poor, kids playing on porches, new birth babies...claiming they died, and selling them to the rich, elite and Hollywood stars. It is estimated the orphanage sold around 5000 stolen children and killed around 500 others for bad behavior. Unfortunately, when the story broke, Georgia died of uterine cancer only five days after."


The author was very successful in shining a light on what was an unregulated social industry a hundred years ago – the acquiring and selling of children; in this case not just profiting off another’s misery, but creating that misery to begin with. It’s probably not too different from the human trafficking we hear about today, but at least modern regulations have driven it into the shadows, even if laws haven’t eliminated it altogether.

It was one of those discussions where there really wasn't a second point of view as the story is appalling, Several felt that the writing could have been a bit more in depth and as almost all the possible outcomes were covered in the lives of a single family.

It can require careful reading due to the double time lines and the renamed children.

3.75 stars

[sgsmitty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again I stepped out of my usual genre (science fiction) and read something that ends up being outstanding. I chose this book because I remembered seeing it on various bestseller lists and the blurb was interesting.
While the plot and conclusion of this book fairly predictable it is good to remember that many times the journey is just as enjoyable as the destination. I found the writing easy to read and enjoyed the bounce between the two timelines every other chapter.
The journey this books takes you through caused me to anxious to jump back to the book every chance I could.
As a bonus I learned about some history that I never knew about.

Overall I would recommend this book, it is time well spent.

[siok-76276 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is based on a heartbreaking real story. Children were snatched from their parents in unbelievable circumstances and placed for adoption. Reading this, I so wanted the perpetrator to be put to justice but that wasn't the case. Thankfully, that did not affect the enjoyment of the book. Lisa Wingate wrote the book from two perspectives, skillfully unraveling the mystery between Avery's grandmother and Rill. There's also an interesting budding romance between Avery and Trent Turner taking place on the side of the main story.

[mapg.genie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wingate's masterfully-written novel reveals the appalling story of Georgia Tann's child trafficking business known as the Tennessee Children's Home Society of Memphis and the survival struggle of children caught in her web. Highly recommend this book!

[alanna1122 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was not for me. I think I understand it's popularity - but it definitely didn't hit the right chords for me.

I have a really hard time with books that depend on a character not putting the pieces of something together in what seems a timely manner. It felt like the whole realization of Avery that her Grandmother was one of the adopted children was just so excruciatingly drawn out for me.

I really didn't enjoy the pieces of the book that took place in the past. At the beginning it just felt like so many other books that have portrayed that time period in that part of the country. I just didn't enjoy what was supposed to be in some ways idyllic.

It started at a pretty fast pace but by the end of it I was slogging through it.

[desiree_reads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, fascinating, absorbing, beautiful.

I love the portions told by present-day, elderly May - that aspect, to me, makes this book so very poignant and heart-felt. And Rill's 1930's accounts of her love of the river and her family are so sincere.

Highly recommended. Just be sure to bring your tissues!

[jrobinw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sad story, but a great book!

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a well written novel that is based on historical facts. The author makes the story interesting and suspenseful. The story also incorporates a romance and a story of coming to know one’s self. It is a sad story about children being taken from their parents and being sold to affluent families. I am impressed by the author and enjoyed the story. It saddens me to realize such evil things happen.

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dual timeline set in present-day South Carolina and 1939 Tennessee. In the contemporary story, Avery Stafford, daughter of a senator, develops questions about her grandmother and investigates her family’s history. In the historic story, Rill Foss and her siblings are taken from their family during a crisis and end up in an orphanage. The narrative switches back and forth between the two stories, and they eventually converge.

The historic story sheds light on a sad chapter of Tennessee’s history, and it is heart-rending. It is a fictional account based on a true story of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, which abused children and sold them to wealthy patrons, abetted by corrupt politicians. It is a vivid example of a cruel person taking advantage of the poor for self-interest.

I was engrossed in the historic parts of this novel. However, current story is lengthy and could have used some serious editing. It contains an unnecessary and uninspiring romance. It is obvious where this storyline is headed. So, as is often the case in dual timelines, I appreciated one and disliked the other.

[sriddell_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book came up on my trim list this month. This is yet another book that I decided to read after seeing it on so many PBT top 10 lists. And once again I was not disappointed.

The story is told in two timelines - one beginning in the 1930s and the other is current time.

The main character in the 1930s is Rill, a young girl who lives with her "river gypsy" family. Essentially living in a homemade house boat (aka a river shanty) with her parents and a fairly large number of siblings. Rill is the oldest of her siblings.

The main character in the current time is Avery, daughter of a US Senator, and part of a family with impeccable social standing. Avery is potentially being groomed for future political office herself.

The other main character could be said to be Georgia Tann, a woman running an orphan home and adoption agency in the Memphis TN area. While most of the characters in the book are fictional, Georgia Tann actually existed. Following the text of the book the author gives a little fuller history for Georgia Tann. She also gives some delightful pictures and back story of the "river gypsies" common during the Great Depression.

A great book and quite eye-opening about adoption practices during the mid-20th century in America.

[ashleypelleti-219062 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall a good book. Did get booring at times. This book is very well written. Even though it was good i probably wouldnt read it again.

[drmom62 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tough read.

[banjo123 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a good historical novel, which explores the Tennessee Children's Home, an "orphanage" where children were abused and neglected, and also basically sold in an adoption racket run by a real life villain named Georgia Tann. This is illustrated by the stories of a fictional family, the Foss family, who lived on a Shantyboat (also a real thing) in 1936. The children were taken to the Tennessee Children Home as orphans, while their parents were dealing with their mother's hospitalization and difficult pregnancy. The book alternates between the story of Rill Foss, the older sister, and the modern day story of Avery Stafford, a young woman from a privileged South Carolina family, who becomes intrigued by the Tenessee Children's Home scandals, and how secrets can echo down generations.

The author does a good job of exploring the issues without finding easy answers.

[swbesecker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had never heard about adoption scandals before reading this story. It is a sad, and yet also heart-warming read. Not sure how I feel about Georgia Tann, who, it turns out, is not a fictional character. This book piques my curiosity in wanting to learn more by reading the testaments of those people whose lives were disturbed by Tann's greed and delusion.

[tsmom1219 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Completely engrossing.

[whisper1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a novel based on the true story of the history of an adoption orphanage run by a woman whose name was Georgia Tann. Between 1930-and 1950's Ms. Tan netted millions of dollars. Children were stolen from the front of their homes, their porches, and in this story, taken from the river where families lived in poverty in shacks or river homes.

Most stolen children were from poverty. Calling the organization The Tennessee Children's Society, located in Memphis, children were starved, beaten, abused, and some sold for sex. When the story was uncovered, there was television coverage on 60 Minutes, newspaper and magazine articles, as well as TV show Unsolved Mysteries, and Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women. Unfortunately, Georgia Tann died before she could be tried for these abominable crimes.

The children's biological parents had little means of finding their loved ones as the names and situations were changed by George Tan.

There were some children who were given to homes were they had a much better lifestyle. However, the travesty of what the Tennessee Children's Society did was difficult to undercover. There were professional people, called "spotters" who worked with in medical facilities and clinics. Many "spotters" thought the organization was legitimate and that they were helping these children. Women who had difficult birthing processes, were told their babies died. Those babies were taken from the birthing institution and given to the home.

The fictional family in this book were robbed from their very poor parents who eked out a living along the Mississippi back waters.

In real life, the tentacles of Ms. Tan were far reaching, and she was able to convince many legislators and politicians that her organization was reputable. In fact, even Eleanor Roosevelt met with her to gain information regarding how to best help children needing adoption.

Hundreds of children died while in the Tennessee Children's Society home. As the author notes in the back of the book, in 1945, a dysentery epidemic, and the poor health conditions at the home, caused the U.S. Children' bureau to investigate the soaring death rate.

The author wove a make believe family who were stolen, and split apart. In the book, the character of a female lawyer whose father was a senator, wanted to learn more about her grandmother who was in a very nice home for the aged. She discovered that her grandmother and siblings were taken and given away for adoption. There was a very honest lawyer helped to find the sisters to bring them together in later life.

It is obvious the author did a tremendous amount of research, and spent a lot of time making sure her facts could be woven into the narrative of her novel.

I will read other books by Lisa Wingate. She is a tremendous writer.

[wiserwisegirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Probably me, but I felt this was dwelling on a sad world.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written, based on fact, excellent and absorbing story. Highly recommended.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.75 stars

In the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society was seen as a positive thing for adopting out poor orphans to wealthy families. It was only discovered in 1950 that many of those kids had families who wanted them. Many of those kids were kidnapped and kept in orphanages, abused, and finally sold.

This fictional account follows 12-year old Rill and her four siblings who were taken off their parents’ boat to live in an orphanage, then to be adopted out. There is also a present day story where Avery is trying to figure out something her grandmother Judy didn’t want anyone to know, as a stranger has a letter for Grandma Judy, but the letter isn’t allowed into anyone else’s hands except Judy, whose mind is no longer well.

I listened to the audio and I thought it started off pretty slow, so it took me a bit to get “into” it, and I might have missed a few things at the start (that may or may not answer a question I had near the end). It did pick up, though, and I found myself more engaged. I actually ended with a couple of questions, though; I have a guess as to the answer to one of them, but if it was outwardly answered, unfortunately, I missed that, too. My questions and the slow start are why I couldn’t bring my rating up to 4 stars, but the bulk of the book was engrossing enough that it almost could have been there. I was glad there was an author’s note at the end with more of the true story of the Home Society.