Before We Were Yours: A Novel

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.

Lisa Wingate's new novel, Shelterwood, is upcoming in June 4th, 2024. Her novel, Before We Were Yours, was a #1 New York Times bestseller, remained on the list for over two years, and has sold more than three million copies. Her books have been translated into over forty languages and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. Before We Were Yours, her blockbuster hit, was Publishers Weekly’s third longest running bestseller of 2017, and was voted by readers as the 2017 Goodreads Choice Award winner for historical fiction. She lives in Texas and Colorado with her family and her cuddly little teddy bear of a dog, Huckleberry. Find her at her website or on Facebook and Instagram.

“A [story] of a family lost and found . . . A poignant, engrossing tale about sibling love and the toll of secrets.”—People

“Before We Were Yours is sure to be one of the most compelling books you pick up this year. . . . [Lisa] Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you’ll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann’s legacy.”—Parade

“One of the year’s best books . . . It is almost a cliché to say a book is ‘lovingly written’ but that phrase applies clearly to Lisa Wingate’s latest novel, Before We Were Yours. This story about children taken from their parents through kidnapping or subterfuge and then placed for adoption, for a price, clearly pours out of Wingate’s heart. . . . It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel. It invades your heart from the very first pages and stays there long after the book is finished. Few novelists could strike the balance this story requires but Wingate does it with assurance. There are a lot of books that will catch your eye this summer, some from our best storytellers. Make sure this one is on your radar. It should not be missed.”—The Huffington Post

“[An] affecting new novel.”—The New York Post

“Every now and then a novel comes along that sweeps me off my reading feet. Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate, is such a book. . . . It’s a great book-club read, one of those books that teaches you something, gives you lots to discuss and even more to think about. . . . Take note: This may be the best book of the year.”—Shreveport Times

“This story is heartfelt and genuine, especially as Wingate explores the idea of home and family from a youngster’s point of view.”—Historical Novels Review

“Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power. That Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society could actually exist, unraveling the lives of countless children, stealing their pasts and changing their futures, will give you chills. But the real feat of this stirring novel is how deeply Wingate plunges us into the heart and mind of twelve-year-old river gypsy Rill Foss. Rill’s utterly 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 Circling the Sun

“A powerful tale of family, of sisters, of secrets kept and secrets shared. I absolutely loved this book. I’m still basking in the afterglow, in shock at the true-crime elements, in awe at the journey of these characters who seem to have immortal souls.”—Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is an emotional historical novel inspired by the real-life scandal of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, where poor children were taken from their families and sold into wealthy adoptive homes during the early and mid-twentieth century. The novel moves between two timelines: one in 1939, following a young girl named Rill Foss, and one in the present day, following a successful woman named Avery Stafford. Through these two stories, the book explores family, identity, loss, secrets, and the painful question of what truly makes someone belong.

In the 1939 storyline, Rill Foss is a twelve-year-old girl living with her parents and younger siblings on a river shantyboat on the Mississippi River. Her family is poor, but they are close and loving. Rill’s parents, Briny and Queenie, do not have much money, yet their children grow up with freedom, imagination, and a strong sense of family. Rill is the oldest of five children and often helps care for her siblings: Camellia, Lark, Fern, and Gabion. Their life on the river may be simple, but to Rill it is home. Everything changes when Queenie goes into a difficult labor while giving birth to twins. Briny takes her to the hospital, leaving Rill in charge of the younger children.

While their parents are gone, strangers arrive and take Rill and her siblings away. The children are told they are going to see their parents, but instead they are placed in the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, an orphanage run by Georgia Tann. Rill quickly realizes that something is terribly wrong. The children are not treated with kindness or respect. They are given new names, separated from one another, and told that their parents have abandoned them or are dead. Rill knows this is not true, but as a child with no power, she has little way to fight back.

Life in the home is frightening and cruel. The children face neglect, abuse, hunger, and constant fear. Georgia Tann and the people working for her present themselves as rescuers of unwanted children, but in reality they are stealing children from poor families and arranging adoptions for profit. Wealthy families are able to adopt these children, often without knowing the full truth of how they were obtained. Rill tries desperately to protect her siblings, especially the younger ones who do not understand what is happening. Her love for them gives her courage, but she cannot stop the system that is breaking her family apart.

One by one, the Foss children are separated. Rill, renamed May, is adopted along with her sister Fern by a wealthy couple. Though their adoptive home offers comfort, education, and social status, it cannot erase the trauma of what they have lost. Rill carries the memory of her real family and the guilt of not being able to keep her siblings together. Her past becomes something hidden, painful, and difficult to explain. The novel shows that adoption, even when it leads to a stable life, can still be tied to deep grief when it begins with lies and separation.

In the present-day storyline, Avery Stafford is a lawyer from a powerful South Carolina political family. She is intelligent, polished, and expected to follow the path laid out for her. Her father is a senator, and Avery is being prepared to step into a public role that may include politics. She is engaged to a suitable man and seems to have a perfect future ahead of her. However, Avery’s life begins to shift when she visits a nursing home during a public event and meets an elderly woman named May Crandall. May reacts strongly to a bracelet Avery is wearing, and this strange moment leads Avery to start asking questions about her family’s past.

Avery’s grandmother, Judy Stafford, is ill and losing her memory, so getting clear answers from her is difficult. As Avery investigates, she discovers hints that her family history may not be what she always believed. The Staffords are wealthy and respected, but beneath their polished image are secrets connected to adoption, stolen children, and hidden identities. Avery begins to realize that the story she has inherited may have been carefully shaped to hide uncomfortable truths. Her search leads her deeper into the history of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and the lives of people whose families were torn apart by Georgia Tann’s schemes.

As Avery uncovers the connection between May and her own family, the two timelines slowly come together. She learns that May is actually Rill Foss, one of the children stolen from the riverboat all those years ago. Rill’s memories reveal the pain of losing her parents and siblings, while Avery’s investigation shows how those losses echoed through later generations. The novel does not present the past as something finished and forgotten. Instead, it shows how old secrets continue to shape families long after the people involved have tried to bury them.

Avery’s journey is not only about solving a mystery. It also forces her to question her own life. She has spent years doing what is expected of her, trying to protect her family’s reputation and follow a carefully planned future. But as she learns about Rill’s courage and the suffering of the stolen children, Avery begins to think more deeply about truth, responsibility, and personal choice. She must decide whether preserving appearances is more important than honoring the real stories of the people who came before her.

The novel’s emotional power comes from its focus on the bond between siblings and the lasting need to know where one comes from. Rill’s love for her brothers and sisters is the heart of the story. Even when they are separated, she never truly lets them go. Her memories are painful, but they are also a way of keeping her family alive. Through Rill, the book shows how children can be deeply harmed by adults who claim to know what is best for them. Through Avery, it shows that uncovering the truth can be painful, but it can also bring healing.

By the end of the novel, long-buried family secrets are brought into the light. Not every wound can be repaired, and the lost years cannot be returned, but there is some peace in recognition. Rill’s story is finally heard, and the children who were stolen are remembered not as names in a scandal but as real people with families, histories, and hearts. Before We Were Yours is ultimately a moving story about the strength of family ties, the damage caused by greed and silence, and the importance of truth. It reminds readers that love is not defined only by wealth, status, or legal papers, but by memory, loyalty, and the people who refuse to forget where they came from.