‘Before We Were Yours’ by Lisa Wingate
A real page turner. I was gripped from the outset. This is a story of a little known scandal in Tennessee where children and babies were stolen and sold through a corrupt adoption system that was protected by those in power. The abuse, cruelty and neglect are dramatized here in the fictional family of river gypsies who despite poverty are a happy family until the father is forced to leave the 5 siblings on their boat while he unwillingly takes their stricken mother in a difficult labor to hospital. While their parents are away the children are taken and their nightmare life in the homes begins. With edgy writing and a see-saw narration between historical and modern perspectives the plot unfolds in a display of powerful and disturbing narrative.
Available on Overdrive as an Audiobook. This is suitable for parents and older seniors. #SHRLibraryBookReview