To say this book slayed me, to say it ripped me to the core ... would be an understatement. Especially with the picture on the cover (I did read a hard copy of this, one I borrowed from Leah, although apparently I have one on my Paperwhite and didn't realize it!). This author is known for digging deep and writing as though you are walking through emotional minefields with her, and she did not disappoint this go around. (See here + here + here) I just can't even imagine the situation these girls were put in, and the fortitude with which Rill/May handled it. Things 12 year olds should not have to handle! I know our orphanage/foster care systems have improved greatly since 1950, but there is still so much that needs to be done.
Must read = 20/10!!
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption. Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong. (picture and description at Amazon)
I think I'm going to need some light and fluffy after this!
Happy Summer Reading!
O:)
Melissa
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