Before We Were Yours

THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT—Over two million copies sold! A New York Times,USA TodayWall Street Journaland Publishers Weekly Bestseller “Poignantengrossing.”—People • “Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power.”—Paula McLain Memphis1939. 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 nightRill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanagethe 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 directorRill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. AikenSouth Carolinapresent day. Born into wealth and privilegeAvery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutora handsome fiancéand a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisisa chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden historyon 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 Tanndirector of a Memphis-based adoption organizationkidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s rivetingwrenchingand ultimately uplifting tale reminds us howeven though the paths we take can lead to many placesthe 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.