lissir's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
A great companion to Before We Were Yours. It was nice to continue the story through real people after completing the fictional story. Thought provoking and enjoyable storytelling.
lindapatin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.5
tami317's review against another edition
5.0
The book is a historical read about the scandal of the Tennessee Children's Home Society and Georgia Tann. This establishment practiced human trafficking through illegal adoptions. Babies were stolen from hospitals and families using many methods, adoption rings, falsified documents, and others. The "adoptees" in the book discuss their experiences with the adoption ring and Georgia Tann. Now in their 70's and 80's, they are hoping to find family that they had been taken from, some of their family members that they never even knew they existed. It was a very somber read, but a wonderful interpretation of the story that shook Memphis.
aprestia310's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this since I loved "Before We Were Yours" but it was just not the same. While the rel-life stories were fascinating (at least the tidbits provided) the writing style was just too distracting for me. Lisa Wingate is listed as an author but she doesn't do any writing aside from the forward. While Judy Christie is certainly talented, her style was just frustratingly self-centered when the book was supposed to focus on the stories of the families. This was a great idea for a book but I feel that it could have been executed better.
kbranfield's review against another edition
5.0
Before & After by Judy Christie & Lisa Wingate is the non-fiction follow-up novel to Ms. Wingate's blockbuster bestseller, Before We Were Yours (read my review HERE).
This emotionally compelling book documents the stories of real life adoptees whose adoptions were part of Georgia Tann's black-market adoptions through the Tennessee Children's Home Society (TCHS). Following the release of Before We Were Yours in 2017, many of the adoptees were compelled to shared their stories after reading the heartrending novel. Several people reached out to Ms. Wingate to tell her of their deeply personal connection to the Georgia Tann scandal. At the suggestion of one of the last babies adopted through the TCHS, a reunion of adoptees was set in motion.
After hearing the adoptees' stories, Ms. Wingate teamed up with Ms. Christie to ensure their histories would be told. Although their identities have been protected, through in-depth interviews by Ms. Christie, their heartrending accounts have been now memorialized in this poignant and captivating book. While some of the children grew up in happy homes, many of them struggled with feelings of loss and abandonment by their birth mothers. Their respective searches for their birth families has been an long and arduous journey that, in some cases, culminated with happy reunions with siblings and extended family members.
Before & After is a bittersweet book that is heartbreaking yet also uplifting. While the narrative focuses mainly on the adoptees, the story also touches on the manner in which Georgia Tann stole children from their families in order to sell them to adoptive families. Through pictures and poignant narratives from the adopted children, Judy Christie & Lisa Wingate have given a voice to the many victims of a horrifying crime that spanned over 25 years. Keep tissues handy because it is impossible not to shed tears while reading this deeply affecting book. HIGHLY recommend.
This emotionally compelling book documents the stories of real life adoptees whose adoptions were part of Georgia Tann's black-market adoptions through the Tennessee Children's Home Society (TCHS). Following the release of Before We Were Yours in 2017, many of the adoptees were compelled to shared their stories after reading the heartrending novel. Several people reached out to Ms. Wingate to tell her of their deeply personal connection to the Georgia Tann scandal. At the suggestion of one of the last babies adopted through the TCHS, a reunion of adoptees was set in motion.
After hearing the adoptees' stories, Ms. Wingate teamed up with Ms. Christie to ensure their histories would be told. Although their identities have been protected, through in-depth interviews by Ms. Christie, their heartrending accounts have been now memorialized in this poignant and captivating book. While some of the children grew up in happy homes, many of them struggled with feelings of loss and abandonment by their birth mothers. Their respective searches for their birth families has been an long and arduous journey that, in some cases, culminated with happy reunions with siblings and extended family members.
Before & After is a bittersweet book that is heartbreaking yet also uplifting. While the narrative focuses mainly on the adoptees, the story also touches on the manner in which Georgia Tann stole children from their families in order to sell them to adoptive families. Through pictures and poignant narratives from the adopted children, Judy Christie & Lisa Wingate have given a voice to the many victims of a horrifying crime that spanned over 25 years. Keep tissues handy because it is impossible not to shed tears while reading this deeply affecting book. HIGHLY recommend.