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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
This edition includes a new essay by the author about shantyboat life.
From the Publisher
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A dramatic historical novel of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives. The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal—some of whom learned the truth from Before We Were Yours, and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach. A sweeping novel inspired by the untold history of women pioneers who fought to protect children caught in the storm of land barons hungry for power and oil wealth.
Publisher : Ballantine Books (November 29, 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 480 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593599004
ISBN-13 : 978-0593599006
Item Weight : 9.2 ounces
Dimensions : 4.18 x 1.12 x 7.52 inches
Customers say
Customers find the story good, amazing, and wonderful. They also praise the writing quality as exceptional, clear, and descriptive. Readers describe the story as heartbreaking, emotional, and not tragic. They find the characters well-developed, personable, and courageous. They describe the book as uplifting, engrossing, and inspirational. Customers also mention the pacing is fairly fast and the flow of the novel is smooth. They appreciate the well-researched and fascinating study on the shadowy and sad adoption process.
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