Before We Were Yours

THE BLOCKBUSTER HIT – A #1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly Bestseller

Two families, generations apart, are forever changed by a heartbreaking injustice in this poignant novel, inspired by a true story. For readers of Where the Crawdads Sing and Orphan Train.

Born into a world of wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all. A loving daughter to her father, a US senator, with her own ambitious career as a lawyer and a handsome fiance waiting for her in Baltimore, she has lived a charmed life.

But when Avery returns to Aiken to help her father weather a health crisis and a political attack, a chance encounter with May Crandall, an elderly woman she’s never met before, leaves Avery deeply shaken. Avery’s decision to learn more about May’s life will take her on a journey through a hidden history of stolen children and illegal adoption. A journey that will reveal a secret that could lead to devastation…or redemption.

Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals – in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organisation, 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.

PRAISE

‘Wingate is a compelling storyteller, steeping her narrative with a forward momentum that keeps the reader as engaged and curious.’ – Publisher’s Weekly

‘It is impossible not to get swept up in this near perfect novel. It invades your heart from the very first pages and stays there long after the book is finished.’ – Huffington Post

‘The society seems too Dickensian to be true, except that it was, and its black-market adoption practices caused a stir in the mid-twentieth century. Wingate writes with flair, and her distinctly drawn characters and adept use of the adoption scandal will keep readers turning the pages.’ – Booklist

‘Lisa Wingate’s heart-racing, heart-wrenching tale of a family ripped apart by the Tennessee Children’s Home Society scandal, rang so true I couldn’t sleep until I knew their fate. Days later, I’m still haunted by the diabolical plot to steal and sell the most vulnerable children to high bidders, sanctioned by high-ranking officials who looked the other way.’ – Julie Kibler, International Bestselling Author of Calling Me Home

Author Biography

Selected among Booklist’s Top 10 lists for two consecutive years, where she was called ‘quite simply, a master storyteller’, Wingate is known for weaving lyrical writing and unforgettable settings with elements of traditional storytelling, history, and mystery to create novels that Publisher’s Weekly calls ‘Masterful’ and Library Journal refers to as ‘a good option for fans of Nicholas Sparks’.

Lisa is a journalist, an inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty-five novels. She is a seven-time ACFW Carol Award nominee, a multiple Christy Award nominee, a two-time Carol Award winner, and a 2015 RT Booklovers Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award Winner for mystery/suspense. Recently, the group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.