THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT—Over two million copies sold! A New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller“Poignant, engrossing.”—People • “Lisa Wingate takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and weaves a tale of enduring power.”—Paula McLain Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their … 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 fiancé, 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.
Publishers Weekly’s #3 Longest-Running Bestseller of 2017 • Winner of the Southern Book Prize • If All Arkansas Read the Same Book Selection
“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.”—Parade
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The characters and their situations will always be remembered.
This book is one that brought to life part of history I was not aware of. Lisa Wingate relates the tragic story of the selling of children via disreputable means to life. Reading her book you feel what it was like for children snatched away from poor parents to be sold to rich people wanting sons and daughters.
The book is written through the eyes of characters past and present coming together to make a whole picture of a family. A family torn apart because of the Tennessee children’s home in the 1930s atrocious practices. Yet this family thrives through it all and have much to be thankful for.
You will not be disappointed in buying yourself a copy of this wonderful novel!
Georgia Tann managed to take children from their indigent parents under false pretenses and set them up for adoption to wealthy families.
This story is derived from the real-life account of Tennessee orphanage director, Georgia Tann, who kidnapped children and placed them for adoption to the rich and famous. It intertwines two stories, one present-day and one in the time of the Georgia Tann’s malevolence. The climaxing intersection of these two stories is skillfully done.
Very good book about real-life events that occurred in this country – children being stolen and sold as orphans.
Really interesting story. Keeps you reading and guessing and trying to figure things out. Great read!
What a great, but haunting story. Great in the telling, but even more amazing to know that it is based on actual events. Definitely worth reading.
She and hers were horrible people
amazing read
Hard to believe something like this really happened in our recent history. So glad she wrote about this.
Wingate drafts endearing characters—sisters—who endure being taken from their family by the clutches of a corrupt children’s organization. Based on real incidents this book is both tragic and heartwarming. A highly recommended read.
Speaks to the resilience Of children, but heartwrenching what they endured under the guises of “good care for children”.
This novel was even more amazing because of the horrific truth that it was based off of. I cannot believe that people did these things!! Realizing that some of the characters ended up with better life’s than they may have with their birth families was certainly no justification. Kudos to Lisa Wingate for bringing this injustice to the forefront.
I had two friends who passed this book on to me. Both said, “Read it now!” I was not disappointed. Lisa Wingate drove me right into the setting. She laced me around every character, each unforgettable. If you’ve never read the story of Georgia Tann and the Memphis adoption agency, you must. Make time to read because you will not want to put it down. Also keep Kleenex close by!
Sad but so enlightening. A story that needed to be told. Enjoyed an interview I watched after reading the book with the author. She was encouraged by readers who identified personally with this story to get them together in Memphis. A headstone was placed at the gravesite of children who died at the TCHS under the supervision of Georgia Tann. How could such a tragedy happen in our country and not so long ago?
Gripping tragedy based on a true life story that will break your heart. Children stolen from their homes and forced into illegal adoptions. This story will remain with you long after you read the last page.
The author caught my attention on the first page! These characters were fictional but the story was a true tragic story. You have to read it!
This was a well-written story and a heartbreaker. I read the true book about this family and families several years ago. I was somewhat prepared for this story but it still made me cry. I am close in age to these children and I can’t imagine how they survived.
I loved the ending.
I really enjoyed this book. It was very informative as I had never heard of this before.
This book exposed a very tragic era of our history when children were kidnapped and then adopted by well-to-do families. This went on for decades.