So far we are 2/2 for amazing books this book club year. If you haven’t read Before We Were Yours, it is a must-read! It’s been on my list ever since it came out last year. Historical fiction has always been one of my favorite genres and this captivating story made my love for this genre grow even stronger, I felt like I was flipping through pages so quickly because I just couldn’t wait to find out what happens.
It is taken from a real-life scandal that happened in Memphis, Tennessee where Georgia Tann would take children from poor families and adopt them to wealthy families all over the country. It is shocking that this went on from 1924-1950 and the records were not opened until 1990. She treated the children horribly, killed some of them, and would have mothers sign papers while they were sedated in the hospital, telling them their children had died and taking them instead.
So some of it was a bit difficult to read but it switches back and forth between a modern day story and the historical story of Georgia Tann with a little bit of mystery so it's not all devastating.
At our book club meeting we talked about how it was possible for Georgia to get away with this and how she even had the audacity to do it, but then realized that selling of children who may or may not have parents has happened numerous times throughout our world’s history.
Similar stories include The Orphan Keeper by Camron Wright and the movie Lion which both tell about children taken in India and adopted to other places in the world. Human trafficking is also prevalent in our world today. You can learn more about Timothy Ballard's mission to end trafficking here.
We also talked about the resilience of children and how adaptable they can be to new situations and overcoming horrible things.
It's crazy to think about how because of this scandal, there are so many people who don't know who their real ancestors are or that they are even adopted at all!
That's why journaling is so important! Keeping a record of our lives and the lives of our families helps to preserve memories and understand links between generations. There is something so powerful about knowing where you come from and who you belong to.
I'm following along with the book list as much as possible still. I just finished listening to this one and I loved it! I was able to listen to it every day walking to and from school. :)
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