Before We Were Yours is a fictional book based on a true story, written by Lisa Wingate and was published on 6 June 2017. The story is based around the true events of the corrupt Tennessee Children’s Home Society, an adoption agency based in Memphis, Tennessee, that kidnapped poor children and sold them.
The story centers around Avery Stafford as she uncovers the truth behind her family history. She discovers that her grandmother, Judy, was stolen and sold through the agency to a wealthy couple who raised her as their own. However, in the process, Judy was separated from her biological sister, May. Avery is determined to uncover the truth behind the agency and reunite the members of her missing family.
Many high profile celebrities, including Joan Crawford and June Allyson, used the agency to adopt their children. The agency operated from between 1924 and 1950, and was headed by Georgia Tann. Tann was responsible for the trafficking of over 5,000 children and often scouted out wealthy couples who could not bear children of their own.
