Although some children living in the home truly were orphans, there were many others that were torn from their homes. 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 .

The fictional story of the five Foss children parallels the real life experiences of hundreds of victims of Georgia Tann's illegal adoption agency, the Tennessee Children's Home Society. Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate grabbed me from the very beginning, tossed my emotions around like a salad, and never let go! Children were not treated well here, punished severely for minor indescretions and fed as little as possible. Although this is the first novel that I have read by Lisa Wingate, apparently she has written others. But what I don't like is when an author just piles on more and more dread and horrible things to happen.

I don't read a lot of non fiction so I really appreciate when a novel can enlighten me on things that happened that I wouldn't have otherwise known about . Lisa Wingate weaves a well thought out plot with memorable characters and while there were a couple of times in the story where I thought ok perhaps that was a little too convenient or contrived but I just tossed it aside as the enjoyment of the story far out weighted any tiny issues I might have had towards the end. I found every time I had to put the book down I was trying to work out when I could pick it back up and carry on.

Of course these type and other injustices are not just confined to the past, and I can't help thinking about the injustices being committed in our present that readers will read about fifty years from now.The true story portion was the horrible things that happened for over 30 years in the Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage. From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. Some questions come up about her grandmother's past that Avery digs into that leads her down a path she never imagined. Some aspects are well done and the expose of the decades-long adoption ring in Memphis is both interesting and abhorrent. The plot is written from two points of view, that of Rill, later named May by her adoptive parents and Avery, the daughter of a senator whose grandmother is now in a nursing home.

Her story is heartbreaking, and though hers is a made up character her story is representative of many that were factual. Many prominent people adopted children from the home including Joan Crawford, June Allyson, and the NY governor.As the story progressed it became increasingly chilling and I was almost picking it up with dread at the prospect of discovering what on earth was going to happen next. Avery Stafford first meets May when she is visiting a nursing home to support her father's political campaign.