Finding Chika

Starred review from September 30, 2019
Albom’s powerful second memoir (after Tuesdays with Morrie) is a tribute to Chika, an orphaned Haitian girl whom Albom and his wife, Janine, cared for from age five to age seven, when she died from a brain tumor. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Albom took over the management of an orphanage there. In 2013, fun-loving Chika became a resident and, two years later, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Doctors in Haiti didn’t have the means to treat Chika, so Albom and his wife—who never had kids—brought her home to Michigan to help save her. Albom conveys the heartbreak of watching her suffer (Chika endured surgeries, and lost teeth and hair), while capturing Chika’s sweet spirit and youthful resilience. He speaks candidly about being too career-focused and putting off having kids until it was too late, and shares how Chika allowed him and his wife to experience the glory of parenthood decades into their marriage. Albom addresses Chika directly: “You never have to worry about us forgetting you... we’d lose every memory we ever had before we would let go of yours.” Both painfully sad and beautiful, this is an absolute tearjerker.

October 1, 2019
A young Haitian girl opens the door to unconditional love for an American couple. When Albom (The Next Person You Meet in Heaven, 2018, etc.) became director of the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, he knew the children would make an impact on his life, but one toddler in particular, Chika, stole his heart. She was born just three days before the earthquake that destroyed Haiti in 2010. "It was tragedy on an island where tragedy is no stranger," writes the author. When Chika arrived at the orphanage, she was only 3, but she quickly became a leader among the children. When she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, a condition the neurologist in Haiti said could not be treated there, Albom and his wife brought Chika into their Michigan home and sought out the best treatment they could find. When those treatments failed, they traveled for two years to other countries for experimental procedures, anything that would prolong Chika's life. In addition to his own viewpoint, the author narrates the story by imagining what Chika was thinking and feeling. As Albom makes clear from the start, Chika did not survive her condition (she died in 2017 at age 7); his writing about this journey is unadorned, heartwarming, and rarely maudlin. He shares his joy at becoming a father to this vivacious child, his fears as he reintroduced Chika to her biological father, and the pain and sorrow he felt when she died. He marvels at the relationship Chika had with his wife and shares his amazement that Chika so readily connected with other adults. The takeaway from this simple, moving memoir is that love has no boundaries and should not be hindered by ethnicity, religion, education, or money. A highly expressive, tender story about how "families are like pieces of art, they can be made from many materials."

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October 15, 2019
The catastrophic earthquake that felled Haiti in 2010 spurred best-selling author Albom (The Next Person You Meet in Heaven (2018) and his wife, Janine, to immerse themselves in the relief efforts, most specifically in the fate of an orphanage that was home to dozens of children left rudderless by the destruction. Among them was Chika, a precocious and cunning three-year-old who instantly endears herself to the Alboms. When she is diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor, they bring her to their home in Detroit and embark upon a daunting but determined quest to find a cure. Well past the age when most couples have a family, the Alboms all but adopt Chika and discover the joys of parenthood they thought had passed them by. Told through flashbacks and episodes of magical realism where Chika makes herself known to the grieving author, Chika's story of hope, faith, and unconditional love is simultaneously uplifting and tragic. Keep the tissues handy, for Albom bares his soul in this lustrous tribute to a short but impactful life.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Megapopular Albom's gift for plucking heartstrings and finding meaning in life, which has endeared him to millions, is on full display here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

November 1, 2019

Following a string of best-selling novels, Albom returns to nonfiction after 2009's Have a Little Faith. After Haiti is struck by a devastating earthquake in 2010, Albom and his wife, Janine, begin operating the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage. When Chika, a three-year-old girl at the orphanage, has medical issues that can't be addressed in Haiti, Albom and his wife bring Chika to the United States. Chika is diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, with little chance of recovery; Albom and Janine pursue every treatment option. Chika's spirits remain buoyant despite her hardship, and her presence reshapes Albom's sense of love, family, and responsibility. The experience, and conversations with Chika, motivate Albom to share her story with others. VERDICT Albom's memoir is a lens into his grief but also a celebration of Chika's spirit and lessons gleaned from their time together as a family. The heartbreaking but uplifting story is a testament to the bravery and resilience of children and the power of love. Essential for all public libraries.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2019

Born into poverty three days before Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake, Chika Jeune ended up at the Have Faith Haiti Orphanage, run by the multi-million-copy best-selling Albom, after her mother died giving birth to her baby brother. When she was diagnosed with a serious illness that could not be treated in Haiti, Albom and his wife brought her to their home in America and spent two years searching for a cure. Albom's first nonfiction in more than a decade; with a 500,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.