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Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society

Judy Christie,

Lisa Wingate (Goodreads Author)

3.97 · Rating details · 9,660 ratings · 1,473 reviews

7 hours, 57 minutes

The incredible, poignant true stories of victims of a notorious adoption scandal--some of whom learned the truth from Lisa Wingate's bestselling novel Before We Were Yours and were reunited with birth family members as a result of its wide reach

From the 1920s to 1950, Georgia Tann ran a black-market baby business at the Tennessee Children's Home Society ...more

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Hardcover, 320 pages

Published October 22nd 2019 by Ballantine Books

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Oct 08, 2019 Angela M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-reviews

I was so taken with Lisa Wingate’s moving novel Before We Were Yours, so I was definitely drawn to reading this nonfiction account . It focuses on real life stories of some adults who were victims of Georgia Tann’s corrupt money making operation, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society that sold babies and young children from the 1920’s to 1950. Stolen children, falsified records, illegal adoptions that cost $500 vs $7 for the state cost at that time. “An investigation concludes that Tann profited I was so taken with Lisa Wingate’s moving novel Before We Were Yours, so I was definitely drawn to reading this nonfiction account . It focuses on real life stories of some adults who were victims of Georgia Tann’s corrupt money making operation, the Tennessee Children’s Home Society that sold babies and young children from the 1920’s to 1950. Stolen children, falsified records, illegal adoptions that cost $500 vs $7 for the state cost at that time. “An investigation concludes that Tann profited from the operation of TCHS in Memphis in excess of five hundred thousand dollars in the last ten years of her life - taking in today’s equivalent of between five and ten million dollars.” This book came to be when a woman contacted Wingate after reading the novel to say she was one of those babies. Journalist Judy Christy was brought on board by Wingate to interview the people who had come forward as having been part of a Tann’s scheme. They plan a reunion of some of the orphans. Christy skillfully and tenderly interviews those who can come together for the reunion to share their stories.

A desire to find siblings, know their family history, medical and otherwise, find out the truth of what Georgia Tann did to them, their mothers were motivating factors to search out their pasts.. The years they lost are poignantly reflected when a dying man meets his brother - “We didn’t get to play as children, but we can play in heaven.” Some of the stories were joyful when they meet siblings they never knew they had or a mother who never wanted to give up them up. There were some who didn’t want to be united with their relatives. Some who didn’t want to share their stories. Some were grateful for the people who adopted them knowing that they had a better life than they would have . Some did not have that better life. Their stories are moving. You will meet all of these people here.

While this focuses on children that were adopted through Georgia Tann’s corrupt money making operation, it speaks of the journey of many other adopted people to find their families. I was particularly touched by these stories because last year through Ancesrty.com we discovered a niece who had been searching for her birth parents for years. I won’t go into details here, other than to say that her father was one of my brothers in law who had passed away. The meetings with our family were emotional and the connection has continued. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the same when she found her birth mother. They met, shared information but her mother does not want to have a relationship going forward. Sometimes making the connection after years doesn’t always work. I highly recommended to those who were touched by Lisa Wingate’s novel and anyone who might be interested in the journeys of some adopted children to their adulthood and back to their roots.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. ...more

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Sep 06, 2019 Dorie - Cats&Books :) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2019-netgalley-challenge

***NOW AVAILABLE***

This is the follow up non fiction book to “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. I would recommend that if you haven’t read that novel you investigate the story of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society from the 1920’s through 1950 before reading this book, it doesn’t really work as a stand alone.

If you are looking for a lot more information about Georgia Tann and the daily operations of the orphanage you won’t find a lot of that here. This book is devoted to the adoptees.

Ms ***NOW AVAILABLE***

This is the follow up non fiction book to “Before We Were Yours” by Lisa Wingate. I would recommend that if you haven’t read that novel you investigate the story of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society from the 1920’s through 1950 before reading this book, it doesn’t really work as a stand alone.

If you are looking for a lot more information about Georgia Tann and the daily operations of the orphanage you won’t find a lot of that here. This book is devoted to the adoptees.

Ms. Wingate teamed up with journalist Judy Christie and they were able to find and document 15 people who had been adopted from this orphanage. Because of the time frame, the adoptees that they found were all infants (with one exception) at the time they were adopted and had no knowledge of their time spent in the home, most were probably only there for a few days or weeks. Most of the abuse suffered in the home fell on the shoulders of the older children living there, many of which were separated from their siblings during the adoptions and languished in the home for months or even years.

When Before We Were Yours was published some individuals who had known they were adopted started to dig deeper into their background, questioning grandparents, aunts, friends of their parents, etc. When they started to contact Ms. Wingate she felt compelled to write this follow up telling their stories.

To quote from the blurb : Before and After includes moving and sometimes shocking accounts of the ways in which adoptees were separated from their first families. Often raised as only children, many have joyfully reunited with siblings in the final decades of their lives. In Before and After, Wingate and Christie tell of first meetings that are all the sweeter and more intense for time missed and of families from very different social backgrounds reaching out to embrace better-late-than-never brothers, sisters, and cousins. In a poignant culmination of art meeting life, long-silent victims of the tragically corrupt system return to Memphis with Wingate and Christie to reclaim their stories at a Tennessee Children's Home Society reunion . . . with extraordinary results.”

As “Before We Were Yours” was one of my favorite books of 2018 I thoroughly enjoyed this followup and can highly recommend it. If you are like many readers you will probably find yourself on the internet delving into the history of that terrible home that was allowed to exist for so many years and caused so much emotional and physical pain to children.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.

The book is set to publish October 22, 2019. ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Debra rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley

" How does someone choose to prey on the most vulnerable? Go against all the instincts we have to protect children and market them like products? How does a community turn a blind eye?"

What happens when you find out that your name was not always your name? That you might have been snatched from a front yard, bought and sold, taken from a young poor mother who could not afford to battle a corrupt woman (Georgia Tann) who ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society. A black-market adoption agenc " How does someone choose to prey on the most vulnerable? Go against all the instincts we have to protect children and market them like products? How does a community turn a blind eye?"

What happens when you find out that your name was not always your name? That you might have been snatched from a front yard, bought and sold, taken from a young poor mother who could not afford to battle a corrupt woman (Georgia Tann) who ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society. A black-market adoption agency that operated for 30 years using bribes, corrupt officials, and sold children to those wanting to adopt with a policy that allowed new parents to return a child if "it" was not the right fit for them. Many parents were duped, coerced and bullied into giving up their children. Other women were told their newborn died after birth, only to have the newborn whisked away and sold. Others had their children disappear from their front lawns. Many infants and toddlers died while in the care of the Tennessee Children's Home Society while awaiting to be "adopted” If you have read Before We Were Yours you will be familiar with Tann and her illegal "adoption" agency. That work of fiction brought made many people aware of the horrors that Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society brought.

While reading that book, many who were affected sought out the Author to share their personal stories of how they learned they were adopted, how this affected them, their search for the truth and their reunions with siblings they never knew they had. Wingate met with many of the adoptees and teamed up with Christie in order to tell their stories about their lives, how learning they were adopted affected them and their relationships with their adoptive parents. Fearing and yearning to know about their own personal history, who their biological parents were, if they had other siblings, and the circumstances surrounding how Tann obtained them.

One woman who was adopted was told by her adoptive father when she was an adult that "Clearly you were beautiful, but you were the saddest baby I had ever seen." Another woman received a letter in the mail revealing that she had been adopted and shared, "When I got the letter, it was such a shock. I had lived a lie. I wasn't who I thought I was." These 15 individual stories are just a glimpse into the lives of the children who were affected. Their search for answers and their reunion with relatives is moving.

"We never lose those whose stories remain with us."

This was a wonderful follow up book to Before We Were Yours. The 15 stories are the heart and soul of this book. Their individual paths, their search for truth and the affect it had on their lives once they learned more about their own adoptions. I'll let their individual stories talk for themselves.

If you enjoyed Before We Were Yours, I highly recommend this book. I think it is beneficial to read that book first (but not necessary). You can also learn about the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and Tann online.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 Diane S ☔ rated it liked it

Shelves: 5000-2019

Evil comes in many shapes and sizes, but as to gender, the female sex is in the minority. Not in this case though, because Georgia Tann, was pure evil in a women's body. The harm she caused to so many women and children can not be underestimated. Although she did not operate alone, many make lawyers, politicians and judges were active participant. So evil had much help.

Many of those involved first found about about the children's home in Tennessee, when they read Wingates novel, Before we were y ...more

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Aug 09, 2019 Paige rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

Wow, this what I like to call a good “coffee table” book. It’s one of those books to have sitting on your coffee table that you can pick up and use as a conversation starter.

This is the nonfiction follow up to the novel Before We Were Yours. The book starts with Lisa Wingate seeking to reunite the surviving adoptees with other surviving victims of Georgia Tann's Tennessee Children's Home Society who have suffered silently. After travelling to Memphis, Lisa and journalist Judy Christie gather wi Wow, this what I like to call a good “coffee table” book. It’s one of those books to have sitting on your coffee table that you can pick up and use as a conversation starter.

This is the nonfiction follow up to the novel Before We Were Yours. The book starts with Lisa Wingate seeking to reunite the surviving adoptees with other surviving victims of Georgia Tann's Tennessee Children's Home Society who have suffered silently. After travelling to Memphis, Lisa and journalist Judy Christie gather with the adoptees and their families who tell their adoption story. This book is the recollection, memories, and artifacts of children who were adopted through Tennessee Children’s Home Society that was run by the nefarious Georgia Tann. The stories told are the stories of hope when life has been stolen. While some of the adoption stories deeply benefited the child, the cards dealt to other children were not always in their favor. Sometimes sweet and sometimes appalling, each separate account gives the adoptees a voice that will not be forgotten.

"To this day I search Ancestry.com and use my DNA to discover if there is some familial connection somewhere. If I could just learn the truth of my mother's story, I might find some peace." -Email from an adoptee's child

The chapters are organized by adoptee, and each chapter tells the story of a child who was adopted through the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. It revolves around their adoption, what happened to them in their adopted home, and the reunion with their birth family much later in life (if one occurred). The book is full of supportive photocopies and photographs.

This does not entail memories of Georgia Tann or the heinous acts that occurred at her orphanage. There is only one adoptee in this book who can account for remembering Georgia Tann, but it does not focus on Tann or the orphanage environment; rather it centers around the adoption, her new family, and the reunion with the biological family.

I recommend this to readers interested in true crime and adoption, and for readers that enjoyed "Before We Were Yours". If you have not read "Before We Were Yours", I recommend knowing a bit about Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society beforehand.
Many thanks to Random House- Ballantine, Lisa Wingate, Judy Christie, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my review.

For more information on the subject:
About Georgia Tann
Baby Snatcher ...more

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Sep 12, 2019 Carol rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, published-2019, kindle, read-2019, publisher-invite, netgalley, historical-non-fiction, ebook

"Parents were permitted to return a child like a piece of clothing that did not fit."

BEFORE AND AFTER is a real life sequel to BEFORE WE WERE YOURS as Julie Christie teams up with Lisa Wingate to bring us mind-boggling stories and family secrets as we revisit the Tennessee Children's Home Society (TCHS) child trafficking scandal of the self-serving and untouchable Georgia Tann.

......read excerpts of letters from the nasty monster: "Take him and try him for a week."

......see baby pictures of th

...more

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Oct 25, 2019 Karen R rated it it was ok

I loved Before They Were Yours by Lisa Wingate and looked forward to reading these ‘Before and After’ stories of real victims touched by the Georgia Tann black-market adoption scandal. Unfortunately, I only made it halfway through the book. Too much superfluous writing about the authors, their efforts to put together a victims’ reunion and repeatedly plug Before They Were Yours with less focus on the victims. I felt like I was left hanging at the end of each spotlighted victim’s narrative.

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Nov 04, 2019 Carol added it

Shelves: adoption, non-fiction, true-crime, memoir-biography

Busy, and rushed with deadlines, Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate's Before and After felt a bit disjointed. Their hearts were in the right place and many fans of Wingate's Before We Were Yours including me, were eager to read the personal stories of the many brave adoptees willing to be interviewed.

I am a proponent of open adoptions and feel keeping secrets does more harm than good.

Recommended to all who have interest in what happened to some of the children caught up in Georgia Tann's many year ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Krista rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020

Honestly I’m a bit disappointed with this read. At times the author’s voice, opinions, responses, daily schedule, book promotion, and preparations for the reunion greatly overshadowed the voices of those affected by Georgia Tan and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. I was strangely unemotional for such an emotional topic. I did love hearing the adoptee’s stories of their journeys to finding the truth of their childhood trauma and search for their birth families. But ultimately I was left wan ...more

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Oct 15, 2019 Pauline rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate is a non fiction follow up to Before We were Yours by Lisa Wingate.
The story of illegal adoptions and stolen children and the heartbreaking accounts of the terrible treatment of children and unmarried mothers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Nov 11, 2019 ♥ Sandi ❣ rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, true-crime-or-based-on, z-closed-2019-5000-books, contemporary, historical-history, 3-series-or-sequel, to-50-state-list

4.5 stars

Such a heartbreaking book. The non-fiction story behind the fictional book Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Same author, beside a co-writer, who follows up on the true story behind the horrific reign of Georgia Tann, owner and evil matron behind the Tennessee Children's Home Society.

After the first book Before We Were Yours was published in 2017 the author was inundated with messages from people who were either part of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, or had loved ones who w ...more

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Oct 20, 2019 Mary Jackson _TheMaryReader rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2019

Oh my where do I even start on this review.
First did you all read Wingates fiction book Before We Were Yours? If you answered NO you need to go get a copy of it and read it first.
Now on to the real life stories of the babys from Tennessee childrens home and how they are doing now. Wingate interviewed them and they share their stories.
Wait until you read the chapter Seven- Dollar Baby. Wait until you get to the end of this book. Wingate has out done herself, this story telling getting to the hear ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Ahaaha4 rated it it was ok

I’ll start by saying I absolutely loved Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, it was one of my top favorite books. When I received this ARC I was anxious to get started reading, but I did not make it half way through. I found the writing style and use of names very hard to follow therefore finding it difficult to get emotionally involved with the people. The authors talk a lot about themselves and getting a reunion together, which was like, oh well. There is no doubt Georgia Tann was a horrific ...more

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Aug 20, 2019 Deanne Patterson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, netgalley-oct-2019

The nonfiction follow up to Lisa Wingate's wildly popular "Before We Were Yours" .
Lisa's book started the ball rolling in reuniting a lot of people with their families and it's still continuing today.
The truth comes out as people that were adopted from The Tennessee Children's Home Society from the 1920's to 1950's tell their stories. So many of the children placed there were stolen when desperate mother's thought they were just placing their children there until they got back on their feet. Onc ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Morgan rated it really liked it

This is without a doubt a harrowing story involving the monster Georgia Tann and her Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. Tann and her black market babies are an aberration on society as a whole – most especially because it was allowed to go on for so long with influential people in cahoots with her. Not to forget that Tann never faced one day of reckoning!

While I suspect the children who ended up in unhappy and unspeakable circumstances are in the majority I was overjoyed to read the s ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Amanda Hupe rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-reads, giveaways

“The realities of what happened at TCHS are hard to contemplate, but they are necessary to revisit. The history we deny is the history we are most likely to repeat.”

BEFORE AND AFTER
Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate is a nonfiction account of the survivors of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society run by Georgia Tann. This agency was discussed in Lisa Wingate’s historical fiction Before We Were Yours. After the release of Before We Were Yours, survivors and adoptees reached out to “The realities of what happened at TCHS are hard to contemplate, but they are necessary to revisit. The history we deny is the history we are most likely to repeat.”

BEFORE AND AFTER
Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate is a nonfiction account of the survivors of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society run by Georgia Tann. This agency was discussed in Lisa Wingate’s historical fiction Before We Were Yours. After the release of Before We Were Yours, survivors and adoptees reached out to Lisa Wingate. Wingate then contacted Judy Christie to help her write down all of these stories. Judy Christie is a journalist who interviews all those who reach out leading up to a reunion of the survivors.

Maybe after reading these stories, someone out there will choose to become that one person for one person. Change a life. Save a life. Tell a story that would have otherwise been lost.

BEFORE AND AFTER
I wish I could quote this whole book! Like Before We Were Yours, it took me some time to get through because of the emotional carnage. Some stories were heartwarming and beautiful and others shattered my soul. Over 5,000 children went through this agency and it is estimated that 500 children died. Georgia Tann was a salesperson. She talked of these children as if they were an object. These stories show the heartbreaking reality and stigma on unmarried mothers and those that lived in poverty.

Georgia Tann was not alone. Many social workers, doctors, politicians, etc…are also complicit. She paid them off for her benefit and families suffered. The infuriating part is Georgia Tann was never brought to justice and the adoption files were sealed until the 1990s. All her files were also filled with false information and changes. One story that broke my heart is the mother, Josie.

“Josie is still in the maternity ward the next morning, foggy from the lingering effects of the anesthetics, when the hospital officials deliver devastating news. Their newborn son has died overnight.”

BEFORE AND AFTER

Except her newborn did not die. Her baby was taken and she was told he died. I wish I could list each and every wrong this woman committed. She destroyed lives and families. However, these stories need to be told and I really recommend everyone read Before We Were Yours and Before and After. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Denise rated it it was amazing

My first read of 2020, and I could not have picked a better book to start off the year! This book is a must-read read if you read (and loved) Before We Were Yours.

The book begins with authors Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie seeking to reunite surviving children of the infamous Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis. On the way to Memphis for the reunion, Judy stops along the way to meet with the adoptees and their families, who tell their respective stories. Their stories are a compilation ...more

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Oct 27, 2019 Staci rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2019

Before and After is a good example of how a work of fiction can make an impact.

The individual stories shared are a blend of heart breaking and heart warming. I cannot imagine the struggles these families have experienced.

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Feb 08, 2021 Pam Jenoff rated it it was amazing

If you loved Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours, the heart-wrenching novel about children stolen from their families in Tennessee during the first half of the 20th century to be sold for adoption, as much as I did, you should reach for this gripping non-fiction companion, which chronicles many of the true stories behind the novel. ...more

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Oct 10, 2019 Tami rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-2019, 2019, net-galley, non-fiction

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate opened a Pandora’s box of emotions for many families that had an adoption touch their lives in some way. After publishing Before We were Yours, Wingate began to hear from adoptees or their family members who believed they were adopted out of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis. Some of the adoptees, young as they were, even remember Georgia Tann. Feeling that the stories were important, Wingate enlisted the help of an author and friend, Judy Chri ...more

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Dec 14, 2019 Colleen rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, books-for-my-map, 21st-century, non-fiction, true-crime

3 Stars

*A fractured book that is part memoir, part anecdote, and part self-promotion*

I was debating which to read first: Before We Were Yours or Before and After. I went with the nonfiction Before and After because I prefer to have at least a general idea of the facts before reading the fiction. Both books are about the Tennessee Children's Home Society. First Lisa Wingate wrote her fictional story, Before We Were Yours. Because of the response to her novel, she decided to host a reunion of so ...more

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Jul 22, 2020 Stephanie Anze rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, favorites

"The realities of what happened at TCHS are hard to contemplate, but they are necessary to revisit. The history we deny is the history we are most likely to repeat."

Georgia Tann ran the Tennesse Children's Home Society from the 1920's to 1950, a supposed adoption agency. In truth, Tann's organization was really a black market trade of children. Over 5000 children were "adopted" through TCHS but sadly the majority of these children were not orphans. They were kids stolen from yards, from poor par "The realities of what happened at TCHS are hard to contemplate, but they are necessary to revisit. The history we deny is the history we are most likely to repeat."

Georgia Tann ran the Tennesse Children's Home Society from the 1920's to 1950, a supposed adoption agency. In truth, Tann's organization was really a black market trade of children. Over 5000 children were "adopted" through TCHS but sadly the majority of these children were not orphans. They were kids stolen from yards, from poor parents that could not fight Tann's organization, from mothers that had been told that their babies had died in the hospital and from parents duped into thinking they were placing their children in a temporary home. Tann charged five hundred dollars per adoption, much higher than the seven dollar fee that the sate charged. Its estimated that in the last ten years of her life Tann earned five hundred thousand dollars, about five to ten million dollars in today's terms. Lisa Wingate wrote a historical fiction novel, Before We Were Yours about TCHS and a group of children that went through Tann's organization in 2017. It was through this book that many learned of their past. A group of adoptees gathered, a gathering organized by Wingate and reporter Judy Christie. These are their stories.

I learned about Georgia Tann and TCHS when I read Before We Wwere Yours, an incredible book. When I heard that there was going to be a follow-up book about the real life accounts of former Tann adoptees, I knew I had to read it too. The book is broken down into the individual accounts of former adoptees and their families. I was surprised at just how different they all were. Some children went to homes of loving parents, some learned that they were adopted later on in life and most learned about Tann as mature adults. Their psycologies vary but all of them suffered dearly because of Tann. As these group was able to learn of their pasts, they learned about unknown siblings and cousins, and sometimes of parents that never stop looking for them. There were happy reunions but also disappointments as not everyone wanted to remember. Its hard to imagine how this poor excuse of a human being was allowed to run TCHS for as long as she did. The tone of this book is one of compassion, it is infurating and also sad but ultimately, it is empowering. I have been told how I resemble a sibling or a parent and always took that for granted. Thanks to Wingate and Christie for bringing these stories to the forefront, where they need to be. If you have not read Before Were Yours , I highly recommend it. ...more

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Sep 09, 2019 Jen Juenke rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fiction

UUUUGGGGHHHH...why do I torture myself? I really didn't like the book, Before We Were Yours. yet decided to give this book a try.
Over 20% of this book is the authors patting themselves on the back for getting a "reunion" together. The authors write about what THEY were doing, how THEY felt, why THEY were doing this...it got really OLD very quickly.

The part that I loved was the stories of those who were adopted. I liked to hear how they found lost relatives.
Overall the majority of them were bette ...more

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Aug 17, 2019 Melissa Henderson rated it it was amazing

The true stories behind the book "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate. Authors Lisa Wingate and Judy Christie share the heartbreaking truths of children who were used by the Tennessee Children's Home Society and Georgia Tann.
Through research and conversations with family members of the TCHS children and at times, the actual children, truth is brought into the open.
My heart aches for each person affected by the deceit and greed involved in selling and buying children.
Thank you to Lisa and Ju ...more

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Dec 24, 2019 BAM Endlessly Booked marked it as to-read

Shelves: true-crime, library, e-book, american-nonfiction

DNF at 15% just too depressing at the holidays

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Oct 13, 2019 Susan Peterson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Even though Before We Were Yours was a work of fiction, I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the real families who were the victims of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home society. Were any of the siblings reunited, were any of the parents able to see their children again? What kinds of scars were left behind? When Before We Were Yours was published, it garnered a lot of attention from the public, and it also provided insight to adoptees regarding their personal stories. Judy Ch ...more

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Apr 14, 2020 My_Strange_Reading rated it really liked it

RTC. It was a beautifully woven tapestry of true stories.

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Nov 28, 2019 Reading Mom.me rated it really liked it

For fans of Before we were yours you need to read this book! The companion novel shares real life stories told by children adopted through the TCHS. This book is heartbreaking but yet many stories are filled with joy and happy endings. This read like an episode of 60mins and I couldn’t put it down hearing the similarities between these strangers was unbelievable. Definitely give this book a read

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Feb 26, 2020 Ashley Marshall rated it it was amazing

This brought me a lot of thoughts and feelings, and questions, and made me think. I really like when books cause me to think deeply about life.

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Nov 24, 2020 M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: history, biography, north-america, 20th-century

My initial reaction to this is... hot damn.

History is full of shitty people doing shitty things. That should be no surprise to anyone with an inkling of history. People got shat on for being the wrong sex, religion, race, caste/class, or nationality. They got shat on for all kinds of reasons - money (or wealth/land/resources) being one of the biggest reasons.

This is no exception. Children were kidnapped and sold because of people who valued money over the lives of children, or the bond that moth ...more

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Play Book Tag: Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society By Lisa Wingate (Poll Ballot)	2	13	Jul 30, 2020 07:24AM
Play Book Tag: Before and After: The Incredible real-life stories of orphans who survived... by Judy Christie, 4 stars	6	13	Feb 13, 2020 12:53PM

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About Judy Christie

Judy Christie

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Judy Christie is an author and consultant who lives in Northwest Louisiana.

She writes inspirational fiction and nonfiction. Her popular Green series chronicles the goings-on in the small Louisiana town of Green and is part of Abingdon Press’s new inspirational fiction line.

Judy is also the author of the popular Hurry Less, Worry Less nonfiction series, published by Abingdon Press.

Wreath, published ...more

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42 New and Upcoming Historical Fiction Novels

Care to travel to past times for some serious drama? Check out this season's biggest historical fiction novels and be transported to tales of...

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“The realities of what happened at TCHS are hard to contemplate, but they are necessary to revisit. The history we deny is the history we are most likely to repeat.” — 0 likes

“The group leader speaks words to her that no one has before: “When you’re adopted, you come into the world with loss.” — 0 likes

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Before and After: The Incredible Real-Life Stories of Orphans Who Survived the Tennessee Children's Home Society

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