Summary
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate centers on the Tennessee Children's Home Society scandal and its long-term impact on families. Blending historical fiction with mystery and drama, the story unfolds through two timelines. In 1939, Rill Foss and her siblings are forcibly removed from their destitute family. In the present day, Avery Stafford seeks to uncover hidden family truths. Exploring how past actions impact the present, the novel underscores themes of identity, belonging, memory, and resilience.
Plot
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate presents a dual narrative of Rill Foss in 1939 and Avery Stafford in the present day. The story begins with 12-year-old Rill living on a houseboat on the Mississippi River with her siblings. Their life changes when their parents leave for the hospital, and police officers take the children to the Tennessee Children's Home Society (TCHS). Under Georgia Tann, the institution conducts illicit child trafficking. The Foss children receive new names, such as May and Iris, and face abuse and separation. Rill, now May, fights to keep her siblings together, an effort showing the emotional toll of their separation.
In the present, Avery Stafford, a lawyer and US Senator's daughter, visits a nursing home, uncovering a family secret. An encounter with May Crandall and a photograph resembling her grandmother, Judy Stafford, prompts her investigation. Avery traces her grandmother to the TCHS, discovering Judy was one of the Foss children. This research reveals their family's connection to the illegal adoptions led by Tann.
The narratives of Rill and Avery demonstrate the enduring power of family ties and uncover a troubling part of American history. The novel shows themes of resilience, indicating that while the exploitation of children left lasting effects, hope for healing and reunion persisted.
Themes
Family and identity
Before We Were Yours explores family and identity. Rill Foss shows a strong commitment to her siblings, reflecting the deep human desire for connection. Separated from her riverboat life after entering the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, she experiences the struggle to maintain familial ties and personal identity.
Loss and perseverance
Rill's story involves losing her home, parents, and siblings. Despite these losses, she exhibits resilience. Her determination shows the human ability to persist and strive to preserve family unity against challenges.
Resilience of the human spirit
The novel focuses on individual resilience, especially in children like Rill, who display hope and courage in adversity. This theme is evident in Avery Stafford’s present-day journey, as she uncovers family truths. Her story connects past and present, emphasizing the strength and determination needed to address and reconcile with hidden histories.
Quick facts
Before We Were Yours is based on a real-life scandal involving Georgia Tann, who kidnapped and sold approximately 5,000 children through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.
The novel sheds light on historical atrocities committed by Georgia Tann and brings public awareness to these events.
The story intertwines two timelines—one in 1939 with Rill Foss and her siblings, and one in present-day South Carolina with Avery Stafford.
The protagonist Rill Foss's narrative is fictional but inspired by true events involving Georgia Tann's victims.
Avery Stafford, a lawyer and senator's daughter, investigates her family's hidden past linked to the historical scandal.
Lisa Wingate has been praised for effectively blending historical details and contemporary voices with authenticity and emotional depth.
Before We Were Yours book has sold over four million copies and was a New York Times bestseller for 54 weeks.
Before We Were Yours won the Southern Book Prize.
Wingate co-authored Before and After, a nonfiction companion book featuring true stories of Tann adoptees and their families.
The Foss family's home, a Mississippi River shanty named Arcadia, symbolizes their familial lineage and past.
The story highlights themes of identity, resilience, and the deep impact of past injustices on current generations.
Before We Were Yours emphasizes the moral dilemmas surrounding adoption, poverty, and class disparities.
Key characters
Rill Foss (May Weathers): One of the protagonists, Rill is a 12-year-old girl in 1939. Her life changes when she and her siblings are taken to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. She takes care of her younger siblings during their parents' absence, demonstrating resilience in an unjust system.
Avery Stafford: The other protagonist, Avery Stafford is a contemporary lawyer and the daughter of a US senator. She uncovers family secrets as she researches her grandmother's past. Her journey addresses personal identity and family obligations.
Judy Stafford (Foss): As Avery's grandmother and a former Foss child, Judy's hidden past is an emotional link in Avery's investigation, connecting the present to the Tennessee Children’s Home Society's history.
Georgia Tann: The real-life director of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, Georgia Tann orchestrates illegal adoptions and child trafficking, affecting characters like the Foss siblings.
Queenie and Briny Foss: Parents of Rill, whose financial difficulties make their family susceptible to Tann's schemes. Their story highlights themes of loss and enduring family bonds despite separation.
Trent Turner III: He assists Avery in uncovering her family history. His involvement adds layers to the narrative, connecting personal relationships with themes of exploration and connection.
Impact of the novel
Before We Were Yours increased public awareness of historical adoption practices. Through shedding light on Georgia Tann's illegal adoption operations, the novel has inspired readers to explore their personal histories. Thanks to Lisa Wingate’s storytelling, individuals have discovered parallels to the novel's events, leading them to find their origins and reunite with birth families.
About the author
Lisa Wingate is an American author of historical and contemporary fiction. Her writing career began with the 2001 release of Tending Roses. She has since published more than 30 books, including Before We Were Yours (2017), based on the Tennessee Children's Home Society adoption scandal, which has sold more than four million copies, and The Book of Lost Friends (2020), inspired by the real-life story of a family separated during the tumultuous era of Reconstruction.
