Memphis, Tennessee, 1936. The five Foss children find their lives changed forever when their parents leave them alone on the family shantyboat one stormy night. Rill Foss, just twelve years old, must protect her four younger siblings as they are wrenched from their home on the Mississippi and thrown into the care of the infamous Georgia Tann, director of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.
South Carolina, Present Day. Avery Stafford has lived a charmed life. Loving daughter to her father, a U.S. Senator, she has a promising career as an assistant D.A. in Baltimore and is engaged to her best friend. But when Avery comes home to help her father weather a health crisis and a political attack, a chance encounter with a stranger leaves her deeply shaken. Avery’s decision to learn more about the woman’s life will take her on a journey through her family’s long-hidden history.
Two stories of very different families, generations apart, alternate in this poignant story of love and loss that highlights an unthinkable chapter in US history. The Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home basically stole children from poor families, and sold them to families of privilege. Wingate’s historical fiction is hopeful and sincere. The dedication to the book says it all:
“For the hundreds who vanished and for the thousands who didn’t. May your stories not be forgotten. For those who help today’s orphans find forever homes. May you always know the value of your work and your love.”
Joanne's Reading Blog 
I’m on a looooong waiting list at the library for this! 🙂
Hi Laura! Yes, it took me awhile to get it from the library too. It’s worth the wait, I really enjoyed it and I think you will too. Also, Wingate has written a lot of other novels that you might like, in particular the Carolina Heirlooms series that starts with The Prayer Box. She is an inspirational speaker, some of her books are Christian fiction and others for general market. Happy reading!