Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
Before
We Were Yours is a fictional account of a story that really happened. From
1924-1950, approximately 5000 children were stolen and then adopted out to
wealthy families. This story makes it
real as it follows a poor family who loses its children and its identity
through this horrible racket. It follows the children into adulthood and shows
the real consequences that each face because of the tragedy they lived through.
Because
I am an adoptive mother myself, this story touched me deeply on many levels. The
loss, the hopelessness, the frustrations felt by the characters are so real. I
lived the story with the characters. They stay with you for a long time.
The story switches from the past
story to a present story because a granddaughter researches it because of an
old photograph. We see how the past influences the present and the future.
Though the story has so much pain in it, the story does not leave you hopeless.
The conclusion fills you with grace and hope. Life does move forward and love
can prevail.
I
recommend this book for its realness and for its deep emotional pull. I keep
thinking about the characters and the many children and families who went
through this difficult time. Before
We Were Yours speaks about adoption, orphans, elderly, and the human story
with authenticity and weaves love and grace into it so it becomes a story you
will want to savor and read again.
