Based on an unthinkable real-life scandal, Before We Were Yours tells the story of children from low-income families in Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1940s, who were forcibly removed from their homes—essentially, kidnapped—and placed with well-off families seeking children for adoption.

Through the tale of 12-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings, author Lisa Wingate recounts the horror, fear, injustice, and abuse of power that led to a booming business of child rehoming. Stolen without question, warning, or compassion, children were removed from poor families, thrown into uncaring and often downright violent institutions, and eventually sold to families all across America. This audiobook merges the fictional tale of the Foss children with historical evidence to strike the perfect balance between listener sympathy and factual credibility. Along with tracing the journey of Rill and her siblings from a loving home to a cruel orphanage and beyond, Before We Were Yours follows the modern-day awakening of Avery Stafford, an accomplished woman with a successful legal career and soon-to-be husband living in South Carolina, as she uncovers her family's shocking connection to this sordid trade. In this way, the listener can see both sides of the story: past and present, victimized children and adoptive families, offering a rounded and rich view of this dark and long-hidden scandal.

Lisa Wingate brings forth a compelling and powerful work of historical fiction, which highlights the importance of facing the truth about the past and family, even when it is painful. The warm and conversational tones of narrators Emily Rankin and Catherine Taber add a personal flavour to the novel. Deeply affecting, Before We Were Yours will pull on your heartstrings, keep you listening to each startling turn, and ultimately leave you uplifted.