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.

Advance praise for Before We Were Yours

"Lisa Wingate takes an almostunthinkable chapter in our nation s history and weaves a tale of enduring power.That Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children s Home Society couldactually exist, unraveling the lives of countless children, stealing their pastsand changing their futures, will give you chills. But the real feat of this stirring novel is how deeply Wingate plunges usinto the heart and mind of twelve-year-old river-gypsy, Rill Foss. Rill sutterly singular voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned,as will Wingate s courage to follow her anywhere... Vivid and affecting."
-Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of Circlingthe Sun
 
"A powerful taleof family, of sisters, of secrets kept and secrets shared. I absolutely loved this book. I m stillbasking in the afterglow, in shock at the true-crime elements, in awe at the journey of these characters whoseem to have immortal souls."
-Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotelon the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Songs of Willow Frost
 
"An unforgettableread. This captivating novelwill quite likely break your heart but because it s Lisa Wingateat the helm, you will not be left broken. She is a master storyteller and never fails to get to theheart of what makes us hold onto hope."
-Susan Meissner, author of Secrets of a Charmed Life
 
 
"Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate s heart-racing tale of a family ripped apart by the TennesseeChildren s Home Society scandal, rang so true I couldn t sleep until I knewtheir fate. Days later, I m stillhaunted by the diabolical plot to steal and sell the most vulnerablechildren to high bidders, sanctioned by high-ranking officials who looked theother way."
-Julie Kibler, bestselling author of Calling Me Home