Before We Were Yours

About the book

The story oscillates between 1939 Mississippi and modern-day South Carolina. In the historical timeline, Rill Foss and her four siblings are kidnapped from their family’s shantyboat by the Tennessee Children's Home Society. They are thrust into an orphanage run by Georgia Tann, who profits by physically separating poor children from their biological parents to sell them to wealthy families. In the present, federal prosecutor Avery Stafford discovers her grandmother’s hidden past through a chance encounter at a nursing home, eventually uncovering how high-society secrets connect to the illicit adoption ring.

Readers of historical fiction choose this book to learn about the real-world scandal of the Tennessee Children's Home Society and its impact on genealogical history. Those interested in family secrets and dual-timeline narratives will find a detailed account of how systemic corruption dismantled the lives of vulnerable children. The reader finishes the book with a factual understanding of Georgia Tann’s crimes and the lasting trauma experienced by those who were forcibly relocated and renamed.

Details

Published

2017

Language

EN