Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

"What the mind don't 'member, the heart still know. Love, the strongest thang of all. Stronger than all the rest....Secrets ain't a healthy thang. Secrets ain't a healthy thang, no matter how old they is. Sometimes the oldest secrets is the worst of all."
                -Bart's mother, from the novel

This book was recommended to me and it was an excellent read. A story of exploitation of children, it was very difficult to read in places and even more poignant because it is based on a true story.

In 1939 five children---ages 12 and under---are essentially stolen from the shanty boat where they'd been living and taken to a home run by Georgia Tann, the director of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, Memphis, Tennessee. They are led to believe they will be reunited with their parents but will actually be offered---at a price---to wealthy childless couples. Rill Foss is the eldest of the children and sees herself as the protector of her siblings. She narrates her story which is heart-wrenching, to say the least, and it goes back and forth to....

Present time in Aiken, South Carolina, where lawyer Avery Stafford meets a woman in a nursing home who calls Avery "Fern" and seemingly filches her bracelet. Later a photo found in the woman's room piques Avery's curiosity and starts her on an unexpected path where she will uncover a long-held family secret and discover much about herself.

In A Note from the Author, Wingate relates the fact and fiction of the novel. "Though Rill and her siblings exist only in these pages, their experiences mirror those reported by children who were taken from their families from the 1920s through 1950. The true story of Georgia Tann and the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children's Home Society is a bizarre and sad paradox." Shockingly, Tann had a lot of people fooled for a long time as she was called the "Mother of Modern Adoption." According to the author, Eleanor Roosevelt sought her advice about child welfare. Also from the author: "While Mrs. Murphy and her home in the story are fictional, Rill's experiences there were inspired by those reported by survivors."

The novel was thoroughly riveting, a page-turner to be sure. I rate it a 5.

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Here we are a year later with the Page Turners having read this book and meeting via Zoom to discuss it. The group's average rating is 3.9 with almost everyone liking the book on some level. Of 19 participating, there were 15 4's and 5's.

Some found the multiple characters, several with more than one name, and the dual timeframe format confusing. Others really enjoyed the story within a story which eventually connected the past and present kept the reader turning pages until the connection was clear. Most agreed it was not as enjoyable as it was compelling.

A few participants had been personally touched by adoption or foster care and had interesting experiences to share. Some found the book comparable to Where the Crawdads Sing.

Several members had read additional information about Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. So shocking that this corruption and exploitation of children went on so long! I think we agree that children in deplorable conditions need to be rescued but biological parents should be given the opportunity to prove themselves before their children are taken from them.

The publisher has provided a wonderful resource on Before We Were Yours, including Author's Notes, an interview, discussion questions and even recipes.

Here's a link:

http://www.randomhousebooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/BeforeWeWereYours_BookClubKit.pdf