Title: Before We Were Yours

Author: Lisa Wingate

Genre: Historical fiction

How I read it: Hard copy

How I heard about it: Goodreads, and family friend’s recommendation

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When I heard from a family friend that she couldn’t put this book down, I was intrigued. Then, when I went to her house the following week, she told me to borrow it…

…so I did 🙂

I love historical fiction. I love history, and I love a good story. Historical fiction can be a beautiful blend of the two!

This book isn’t for the faint of heart. Using a fictitious family, Lisa Wingate tells a story of the tragically historical work of Georgia Tann, founder of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. Tann operated orphanages for children who weren’t always orphans in the first place. Her work included stealing poor children and charging exorbitant fees for their adoption all over the country. While it looked like a noble cause on the outside, Tann’s efforts destroyed many families and changed the life trajectory of hundreds of children.

Powerful and beautiful and heartbreaking and thought-provoking, I liked this book so much and am thankful for writers who share even the painful stories of history in memorable, human ways. This fictional account that Wingate shares is one we must remember, so that we also remember the hurt that has come to others by selfish and abusive actions. While I wish the facts were false, I must recommend a meaningful telling as Lisa Wingate composed in “Before We Were Yours.”