Introducing the Aiken Bella Magazine Book Club

Nichole Miller

June 7, 2020

Each month we will select a book to read and then publish a review. The selection will be posted on Instagram and Facebook before our publication date for anyone who would like to read along. This month we read Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate. This story caught our attention because of its partial setting in Aiken, South Carolina, as well as its basis in the true events involving the Memphis Children’s Home scandal. I, for one, am looking forward to the books Nichole “Book Nerd Nikkie” Miller will select in the future. Be sure to follow Aiken Bella Magazine on Facebook and Instagram for updates and our next selection.

– EmilyAnn Raynor

A Book Review By Nichole Miller:

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours is an emotional look at two time periods and two different worlds. This story starts in 1939 with a family of nomads living on a houseboat on the Mississippi River. Late one night the mother goes into labor, is unable to deliver, and is rushed to the hospital in the closest town, leaving the children alone. While the parents are at the hospital, the children are illegally abducted and taken to a home for unwanted children. Here their lives will change forever.

Fast forward to present day in Aiken, South Carolina, where we meet Avery Stafford. Avery is the girl who has it all. Coming home to be by her father’s side during a health crisis, she puts her charmed life on hold. As a prominent lawyer in Baltimore, she is being groomed to replace him as a South Carolina Senator. However, during a charity event she meets May Crandall, who sparks a curiosity in Avery. This curiosity leads to the discovery of secrets that could destroy the Stafford family and any possibility of a political career.

This heart wrenching story set in Memphis, Tennessee, and Aiken, South Carolina, will draw you in from the first page. It is based on the real life events of Georgia Tann, Director of the Memphis based adoption agency. Georgia Tann used her position to steal children from impoverished families and sell them to wealthy families all over the country. This engaging page turner tells a tale — no matter how far our paths may lead in different directions, our hearts will always find a way home. Lisa Wingate weaves a story that will have your emotions in high gear to the last page.

Nichole Miller

Nikke is a busy nurse practitioner but in her spare time is an avid reader of all genres. Other hobbies include kayaking, writing, and sleeping. She and her husband have two daughters, three cats, and one kombucha scoby. To rationalize her book addiction, she will be bringing us a monthly book club selection.

Nichole Miller

In the know

It’s Springtime!

This little avian family Chose to live at the best address In the best small town in all the South! Now, how smart can that be? The welcome sign was clearly in view And Mrs. Wren knew exactly what to do. A welcoming door, a basket of dogwood A habitat so natural, it looked so good No matter the flowers were artificial The location was perfect, so beneficial. A place protected from wind, sun, and rain Maternal instinct her place to claim The nest, a masterpiece of architecture A perfect place her brood to nurture. Eggs — three, perfect and sky blue When they would hatch only mother knew A

Aiken Center for the Arts Exhibition: Grounded

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch, the Aiken Center for the Arts (ACA) presents a collective exhibition of works to celebrate the splendor of historic Rye Patch and Hopelands Gardens as shared spaces of community, connection, and inspiration. Hopelands Gardens and Rye Patch have provided a quiet and peaceful haven for citizens and visitors as well as inspiration to write, paint, sculpt, and photograph. Since 1971 the nonprofit Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch has worked to raise funds for the preservation, improvement, and use of these historic properties as treasures of the Aiken community. Now in their 50th year of service, Friends

My Mask

You say you recognize my mask, made by a mutual friend from fabric your Mother left behind. And smiling, I recall the neat piles of fabric always surrounding my own Mother. So many years of sunlight streaming down on her bent head As she trundled the machine, deft hands guiding the needle, Gentle tugs to keep things right. Seersucker bedspreads, poodle skirts, crinoline slips, gently made for two young sisters. Curtains for every window in every house. My own first effort — a nursery draped in yellow baby ducks. So, in your prayers tonight, thank your Mother for the mask that’s keeping me safe today, the mask that has held

Animal Conservation, a Million Dollar Business

Aiken Artists support the rescue efforts of endangered animals through art Paul Swart, from Rhino Conservation Botswana, was the featured speaker at the Aiken Center for the Arts on Friday, February 18. He explained that poverty in Botswana is a motivating factor for poaching rhinos. “The horn is believed to have medicinal value and can produce enough powder to earn $65,000 on the black market in Asia,” he said. There are fewer than 30,000 black and white rhinos left in the world. Through efforts to transport, guard, and breed these animals, conservationists strive to keep the species from extinction, but it is a million dollar business. The government provides some