Before We Were Yours

It was a bit too much for me,
very good read,but just too sad for me.

Heart wrenching and beautiful.

This was absolutely heart wrenching, but I couldn't put it down. The mystery in investigating lost family history was absolutely captivating, for it touched on the deepest soul questions about true roots and belonging. This book portrayed senseless crimes against children and families at the hands of the Tennessee Children's Home Society in disturbing detail, but interwoven in the heartbreak were stories of those children grown, having found immeasurable capacity for resilience and motivation to make the best of new lives.

Novel based upon a true story in Memphis. Unbelievable that this went on for nearly 27 years. Higher ups turned their heads! Like happening today! Now, you must read the true accounts of those children who were victims of Georgia Tann in BEFORE AND AFTER. Excellent and educational.

Family loses one another and searches for their former family. Good read.

What 512cadcock said.

Loved how the narration for this book switched from first person (Princess of the Arcadia shanty boat in the 1930s) to their grandchildren’s generation uncovering a long lost story. Had me turning pages and too intrigued to put it down. A beautiful coming of age story of hard times and love and triumph in the face of hardship. This was a true 5 star book for me and I look forward to reading other books from this author in the future.

Great book, interesting writing.

Just amazing! I couldn't put it down. Each chapter was in a different voice but you picked up right where you left off each time the next started. I loved every bit of this book.

Before We Were Yours is a heart wrenching story focusing on the crimes of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society at the hands of Georgia Tann. This novel is based on a true story. The author manages to incorporate the seriousness of the crimes that Ms. Tann committed, with amazing historical accuracy, while also adding her own style to the story. This novel focuses on a series of illegal adoptions carried out by Ms. Tann in the early to mid 1900’s. Fans of the historical fiction, non-fiction, drama, and thriller genres will appreciate this story of love, loss, and the importance of justice. However, due to the fact that this book is based on a true story, there may be some scenes that readers find violent; therefore, please take caution when reading this book if you are not comfortable with violence. @avidreader16 of the Teen Review Board at the Hamilton Public Library

A good read

Disturbing but fascinating book based on a page in history, The Tennessee Childrens' Home Society, a network run by Georgia Tann. Children were kidnapped from families, placed in orphanages and treated like animals, then sold off to wealthy families. This story involves 5 siblings, and the oldest' search for her brothers and sisters into old age.

take off list as
I have already read this book

I always looked forward to picking this book up to see where the story would take me. I did not know the horrors of this story, I am glad it was able to be brought to light. I thought the love story line was unnecessary but I could just be cynical- I recommend as a read.

Before We Were Yours is the second book I’ve read recently that was narrated from several perspectives, one of them being a granddaughter searching for her grandmother’s secrets. The granddaughter in Before We Were Yours was Avery Stafford. Her grandmother’s secret involved adoption, the Tennessee Children’s Home and Georgia Tan. The story was historical fiction, but it was based on the real person, Georgia Tan, and the illegal adoption ring that she ran based in Tennessee. The second narration was by Rill Foss, a twelve-year old child who was a fictional composite of children who lived in the Tennessee Children’s Home in 1939. The plot was multifaceted, including the historical theme, plus those of adoption, sibling relationships and social status. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and was deeply moved by the story.

Historical fiction about a family of children stolen from their parents and their experience at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage. The story is told from two characters point of view. Rill Foss’s character was well portrayed and inspiring. This is a tough story to read because it’s based from real events in history but there is a hopeful note that weaves throughout the story and makes this a good read.

It started a little slow but became hard to put down. The story is told from two different view points and different points in time. I found myself loving the story from the past, but by the end of the book, longing to read what was happening in the present. I love the different character point-of-view narratives. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. To think this children's home really existed is unbelievable.

The incredibly sad story of children who were taken from their family and put into adoption in Tennessee by Georgia Tann. Lives were broken and eternally changed. But some seemed to overcome even the worst circumstances and thrive.

A compelling read based on real life events surrounding a Tennessee adoption agency. A real eye opener into some sad US history.

This is not my "normal" type of book, but I was intrigued by the fact that this was based on true and unimaginable events surrounding an infamous orphanage. I found myself listening late into the night because I couldn't wait to see how things turned out. Great book, and great narration!

Hard to put this novel down...compelling story based on true life depiction of a truly sad chapter in US history. Story is divided into two time periods (past and present) and loved the storyline based on Rill and her family. The present tense storyline with Avery at the centre is not quite as interesting but delves into the often illegal depths families will undertake to adopt a child from the criminals who run these so-called adoption agencies. I very much enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it to anyone searching their family roots.

A haunting tale of love, loss, and family, this historical fiction piece is one that will stay with you long after you put it down. Based on the horrifically true tales from the Tennessee Children Home, where young children (even infants) were snatched from their families and sold off to wealthy individuals willing to pay big money for adoptions, this novel is split into two parts that coincide at the end for a memorable reunion.

This book is based on the unscrupulous Tennessee Children's Home Society which operated from the 1920s to 1951. The story is told by two narrators. Rill is a child who ends up in a home operated by the Society with her younger siblings. Avery is a lawyer who happens to meet 90 year-old Rill in the present-day. She discovers that Rill's past and the past of her famous political family are somehow intertwined. Avery is compelled to investigate the mysterious and secretive past that someone has been hiding.

Novel 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. Interesting story based on some historical facts of Mississippi in the 1930's-40's.

A true adoption story with a twist. Good read