The compelling, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal—some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate’s bestselling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach
From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. She offered up more than 5,000 orphans tailored to the wish lists of eager parents—hiding the fact that many weren’t orphans at all, but stolen sons and daughters of poor families, desperate single mothers, and women told in maternity wards that their babies had died.
The publication of Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours brought new awareness of Tann’s lucrative career in child trafficking. Adoptees who knew little about their pasts gained insight into the startling facts behind their family histories. Encouraged by their contact with Wingate and award-winning journalist Judy Christie, who documented the stories of fifteen adoptees in this book, many determined Tann survivors set out to trace their roots and find their birth families.
Before and After includes moving and sometimes shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. Christie and Wingate tell of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace better-late-than-never brothers, sisters, and cousins. In a poignant culmination of art meeting life, many of the long-silent victims of the tragically corrupt system return to Memphis with the authors to reclaim their stories at a Tennessee Children’s Home Society reunion . . . with extraordinary results.You don't want to miss out on this incredible story of the journey of many survivors of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. I read Lisa Wingate's novel Before We Were Yours a while back and was moved by this fictional tale of real life events. It pretty much gets your blood to a boil, as most fictional accounts based on real life events will if they are as tragic as these. After the book released, Lisa somewhat hesitantly became involved in a plan for a reunion of sorts with many of those who had experienced the effects of Ms. Tann's hand in their lives. As they shared their stories with Lisa on and off the road, she shares them with the world through this book.
Get your copy HERE
My Thoughts:
You will be moved to tears, overcome with emotion, and at times feel a bit of rage as you read through these stories of the survivors of the system of political crookedness. It's difficult to read or understand how humanity can stoop so low and go so far unchecked and unattended as lives are destroyed. It's also interesting to read how God can take the most tragic circumstances and many times turn them into something positive and good for those who believe. In a way it reminds me of the story of Joseph, although who sold into slavery as a young man, held tight to his faith, until God turned his circumstances around for good! Has any good been brought out of all this? Only God really knows, but one thing is for sure, there is a lesson here to be learned about too much power and control in the hands of the wrong people, about love and forgiveness for those who are able to find it in their hearts to forgive. Will justice every truly be served...
One thing is for certain, this book, these stories shared, are eye opening. They are reminders not to forget, to honor those who have struggled, suffered and experienced heartache. To do our best to prevent this from happening again.
Thank you Lisa and Judy for writing this story! Thank you to those who shared their stories so we could be more informed. Thank you to Ballentine Books for publishing these stories. I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author and publisher. I was not asked to review positively and all opinions are my own.
From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. She offered up more than 5,000 orphans tailored to the wish lists of eager parents—hiding the fact that many weren’t orphans at all, but stolen sons and daughters of poor families, desperate single mothers, and women told in maternity wards that their babies had died.The publication of Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours brought new awareness of Tann’s lucrative career in child trafficking. Adoptees who knew little about their pasts gained insight into the startling facts behind their family histories. Encouraged by their contact with Wingate and award-winning journalist Judy Christie, who documented the stories of fifteen adoptees in this book, many determined Tann survivors set out to trace their roots and find their birth families.
Before and After includes moving and sometimes shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. Christie and Wingate tell of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace better-late-than-never brothers, sisters, and cousins. In a poignant culmination of art meeting life, many of the long-silent victims of the tragically corrupt system return to Memphis with the authors to reclaim their stories at a Tennessee Children’s Home Society reunion . . . with extraordinary results.You don't want to miss out on this incredible story of the journey of many survivors of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. I read Lisa Wingate's novel Before We Were Yours a while back and was moved by this fictional tale of real life events. It pretty much gets your blood to a boil, as most fictional accounts based on real life events will if they are as tragic as these. After the book released, Lisa somewhat hesitantly became involved in a plan for a reunion of sorts with many of those who had experienced the effects of Ms. Tann's hand in their lives. As they shared their stories with Lisa on and off the road, she shares them with the world through this book.
Get your copy HERE
My Thoughts:
You will be moved to tears, overcome with emotion, and at times feel a bit of rage as you read through these stories of the survivors of the system of political crookedness. It's difficult to read or understand how humanity can stoop so low and go so far unchecked and unattended as lives are destroyed. It's also interesting to read how God can take the most tragic circumstances and many times turn them into something positive and good for those who believe. In a way it reminds me of the story of Joseph, although who sold into slavery as a young man, held tight to his faith, until God turned his circumstances around for good! Has any good been brought out of all this? Only God really knows, but one thing is for sure, there is a lesson here to be learned about too much power and control in the hands of the wrong people, about love and forgiveness for those who are able to find it in their hearts to forgive. Will justice every truly be served...
One thing is for certain, this book, these stories shared, are eye opening. They are reminders not to forget, to honor those who have struggled, suffered and experienced heartache. To do our best to prevent this from happening again.
Thank you Lisa and Judy for writing this story! Thank you to those who shared their stories so we could be more informed. Thank you to Ballentine Books for publishing these stories. I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author and publisher. I was not asked to review positively and all opinions are my own.
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