Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate, Ballantine Books

NEW YORK TIMES&amp,nbsp,BESTSELLER - For readers of&amp,nbsp,Orphan Train&amp,nbsp,and&amp,nbsp,The Nightingale&amp,nbsp,comes a &quot,thought-provoking [and] complex tale about two families, two generations apart . . . based on a notorious true-life scandal.&quot,* Memphis, 1939. 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 night, Rill is left in charge--until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the 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 director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty. Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiance, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on 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 Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country--Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong. *Library Journal Praise for&amp,nbsp,Before We Were Yours &quot,A [story] of a family lost and found . . . a poignant, engrossing tale about sibling love and the toll of secrets.&quot,--People &quot,Sure to be one of the most compelling books you pick up this year. . . . Wingate is a master-storyteller, and you'll find yourself pulled along as she reveals the wake of terror and heartache that is Georgia Tann's legacy.&quot,--Parade&quot,One of the year's best books . . . It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel.&quot,--The Huffington Post &quot,Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation's history and weaves a tale of enduring power.&quot,--Paula McLain,&amp,nbsp,New York Times&amp,nbsp,bestselling author of&amp,nbsp,Circling the Sun