The Pink Bonnet

The Pink Bonnet, by Liz Tolsma, is part of the True Colors series which are fictional stories based on true American crime. Having read the first book in the series, The White City, I was looking forward to reading The Pink Bonnet and was not disappointed. The author drew me in immediately as, in the first few pages she describes the kidnapping of a three-year-old little girl, Millie, and the horror, grief, and desperation of her mother, Cecile. Set in Memphis during the 1930s, the book tells the heart-wrenching story of a persistent mother’s search for her daughter and the lengths she would go to get her back. The book tells of the Tennessee Children’s Home Society, run by Georgia Tann, where over a number of years, it is estimated that thousands of children were stolen and sold. Politics and riches seemed to trump everything even the welfare of innocent children. The author brings a turbulent time in Memphis to life with finesse as she portrays the terror that families must have felt as children continued to disappear, the desperation and determination of parents who tried to find them. The characters are realistic and either likable, relatable, or despicable. Dialogue flowed seamlessly without sounding forced. I had a hard time putting the book down and pretty much read it in one sitting. The story pulls on the reader’s emotions, shock and horror, anger and revenge, sorrow and compassion. It is a thought-provoking book and I look forward to reading more from this author. I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required and opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.

The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime by Liz Tolsma The author got into the details about Georgia Tann, who was the Director of the Tennessee Children's Home Society, in Memphis, from 1924-1950. She has become well known in our modern age, as a ruthless kidnapper and sold to whomever she could get the most money out of and murdering the babies and children that were hard to place. Cecile Dowd is a mother in this novel, who's daughter Millie that has been kidnapped by Tann. Cecile tries several times, to get her daughter back. She eventually does get her precious daughter back, but has several run ins with the law, a phony lawyer that Tann has in her employ and is berated by the Memphis police department. Ms. Tann was known for her high-handedness and ruthless tactics in securing a child and also in finding the highest bidder for each child. In "Pink Bonnet," the author takes us into the relationships of several adopted children. It doesn't explain why or how a poor family was able to adopt two children as a labor force and someone to beat on. Mrs. Dowd is only one of possibly thousands of parents that had been taken by Ms. Tann. Not all of them received their children back or any sign that their child/children had survived. I give this book a 5 out of 5 star rating. It was interesting and held my attention. What an animal that G. Tann must have been. I received a complementary copy from Barbour Publishing, with no obligation to review. The Pink Bonnet: True Colors: Historical Stories of American Crime by Liz Tolsma