Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

11 reviews

sarah_amy's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book both had and broke my heart. I cared so much about Rill/May, her siblings and all the other children, and Avery's investigation among it all. I went in completely blind with this book, so was floored to know this is based on real events and that Georgia Tann was the person behind all the horror. I was less interested in the political side of it all and the romance felt a bit forced (not a bad match, just unnecessary). It would have been a 5 star on the investigation and flashbacks to Rill/May's past alone, but the politics/romance almost felt like I was being interrupted by a side story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Torture, and Racism

Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dementia, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Cursing, Rape, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Based on the child trafficking/illegal adoption agency of Georgia Tann. Lots of details of abuse and allusions to death that went on in the foster homes involved. Many of these children were adopted out illegally and without the consent of the birth parents - some were outright stolen like in this story.

lindseymeown's review against another edition

emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I loved the movement between timelines from granddaughter Avery’s present day narrative, following the threads of her curiosity about her ailing and aging grandmother while oscillating back and forth between her duty to her prominent family name and her own desires for her life trajectory, and the story of Rill and her siblings navigating the Great Depression, a whole gaggle of shantyboat river children caught up in Memphis social worker Tann’s web of forced, and thereby false, orphanhood and Rill’s resulting quest to keep her family together. 

Y’all, the reality behind this historical fiction story, included in an author’s note at the book’s end, is actually wild— like, a 30-year track of what was essentially state-sanctioned child-trafficking in the name of child protection and then labeled as adoption. During her work with the adoption agency known as the Tennessee Children’s Home Society in Memphis,  Georgia Tann made the equivalent of ten million dollars in today-money by literally stealing children from poor people and selling them to the highest bidder, placing babies and young children into situations of molestatjon, abuse, neglect, and leading to the death of who knows how many while they waited to be moved into permanent new homes with their wealthy new families. 

Like, this one left me with a big how and why and what the hell, so I’ll be over here in a research rabbit hole for a bit if you’re looking for me. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Sexual harassment, Rape, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Child abuse

joymaxineb's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Kidnapping

jamiejanae_6's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Grief, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Fire/Fire injury

wifeslife's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Sexual harassment, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Addiction, Infertility, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Torture, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, and Miscarriage

chelle22's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Rape, Murder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Violence

tiana_king's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Grief, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Pedophilia, Mental illness, and Miscarriage

Minor: Sexual assault

gloriazthompson's review against another edition

reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, and Child death

des9120's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Child death, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Child abuse, and Violence

mandi4886's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, Murder, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Infertility, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Racism, Rape, Alcoholism, Ableism, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Police brutality, Chronic illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Animal death, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Antisemitism