Tittle           : Before We Were Yours

Author        : Lisa Wingate

Pub Date    : June 06, 2017

Pages          : 342

My Rating   : ★★★★

The Summary

1939 in Memphis. On their family's Mississippi River skiff, 12-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings lead fantastic lives. However, Rill is left in charge when their father has to rush their mother to the hospital on a stormy night, up until a large group of strangers arrive. The Foss children are taken away from everything they know and placed in an orphanage run by the Tennessee Children's Home Society. They are told they will soon be returned to their parents, but they soon come to grips with the grim reality. Rill battles to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of peril and uncertainty while being at the merciless mercy of the facility's sadistic director.

Present-day Aiken, South Carolina. Avery Stafford, who was raised in affluence and privilege, appears to have it all. A distinguished profession as a federal prosecutor, a charming fiancé, and an extravagant wedding in the works. A accidental encounter, however, leaves Avery with unsettling questions and forces her to travel through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to destruction or to atonement, when she returns home to assist her father through a health crisis.

My Review

Based on one of the most infamous real life scandals in American history, in which Georgia Tann, the head of an adoption agency in Memphis, abducted and sold underprivileged children to well off couples across the nation. In spite of the fact that the paths we choose might take us in many directions, the heart never forgets where we belong, as Lisa Wingate's gripping, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story serves as a reminder.

At least I had my heart ready before reading this.

It was a horrible, unexpected, and devastating tale. The Tennessee Children's Home Society, a real life institution, is the subject of a hypnotic journey that reveals startling information. In essence, this group exploited children by deceiving them, kidnapping them, and brokering their exchange in exchange for money, all the while abusing the people in their "so called" care to the point of death.

The plot takes place in both the year 1939 and the present. The plot is exceptionally well written, has fantastic development, and moves ahead at a good pace even though for the time being I feel it is a little traditional and the romance is sufficient.

I appreciate the author bringing up this topic to warn us that just because something happened once doesn't imply it won't happen again. In actuality, it continues to occur today.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.