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A review by _askthebookbug
Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom
5.0
~ r e v i e w ~
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"What we carry defines who we are and the effort we make is our legacy." - Mitch Albom.
"You took a huge part of us with you, Chika, the best part, but it was yours to take, and I hope it will always be close to you." - Mitch Albom.
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My first book by Mitch was Tuesdays With Morrie and I couldn't help but fall in love with it. While I thought his first memoir was heartbreaking, I was clueless about what Finding Chika had in store for me. I finished this in just two sittings and when I wrapped it up, I was surprised to find my face tear stained. I can never fathom how a book can be both devastating yet so rewarding. Finding Chika is about sentiments, all sorts of them. Not only did the story inspire me but I began to see Mitch in newfound admiration. From finding Chika to building a family, Mitch did not leave any stone unturned.
•
Chika Jeun was born with a purpose, perhaps this was why she miraculously survived the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, in spite of being just three days old. After her mother's death, she was admitted to an orphanage at the age of three. Mitch recalls the confidence with which Chika presented herself as the leader of the children even though she the youngest of the lot. Two years later when Chika's face began to droop and her gait changed, Mitch, who had then taken over the responsibility of running the orphanage, decided to bring Chika to America to get her tested. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, they decide to fight against the tumour. Mitch and Janine, who don't have a child of their own, soon come to consider Chika as their daughter and find their routines changing to accommodate a child.
•
Mitch narrates this memoir to Chika herself, who appears out of thin air and urges him to write about her. He lists down what the child taught him during her brief stay with the couple, narrowing it down to seven teachings. All of Chika's quirks, her eagerness to make friends of all ages, her strong voice and no-nonsense attitude; all of these are written fondly by Mitch. But what set her apart was her determination and strength to fight the tumour for years. Their relentless pursuit of cure and trips to various clinics became part of their daily lives. Mitch often took a breather from his work to spend time with Chika, taking in all that she had to offer during her short stay. But life has never known to be fair and with every chapter closer to the end, I felt my heart sink deeper into the pit of my stomach. This book is melancholic in nature, but in spite of all the sadness and grief it carries, Mitch convinces the readers to look at the brighter side of life. Chika's story is impactful and its wonderful how a child is capable of creating such a meaningful difference in someone's life. The innocence that usually comes with children and their curiousity about everything under the sky is beautifully captured in this memoir. Before I read this, I considered Mitch as just an author but the fact that he runs an orphanage in a povery ridden country came as a pleasant surprise. With this book, Mitch does it again. He breaks hearts into tiny pieces to only fix them, making us see the world differently.
•
Let me end the review with this - "Families are like pieces of art, they can be made from many materials. Sometimes they are from birth, sometimes they are melded, sometimes they are merely time and circumstance mixing together, like eggs being scrambled in a Michigan kitchen. But no matter how a family comes together, and no matter how it comes apart, this is true and will always be true: you cannot lose a child. And we did not lose a child. We were given one. And she was glorious.”
•
Rating : 5/5.
•
"What we carry defines who we are and the effort we make is our legacy." - Mitch Albom.
"You took a huge part of us with you, Chika, the best part, but it was yours to take, and I hope it will always be close to you." - Mitch Albom.
•
My first book by Mitch was Tuesdays With Morrie and I couldn't help but fall in love with it. While I thought his first memoir was heartbreaking, I was clueless about what Finding Chika had in store for me. I finished this in just two sittings and when I wrapped it up, I was surprised to find my face tear stained. I can never fathom how a book can be both devastating yet so rewarding. Finding Chika is about sentiments, all sorts of them. Not only did the story inspire me but I began to see Mitch in newfound admiration. From finding Chika to building a family, Mitch did not leave any stone unturned.
•
Chika Jeun was born with a purpose, perhaps this was why she miraculously survived the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, in spite of being just three days old. After her mother's death, she was admitted to an orphanage at the age of three. Mitch recalls the confidence with which Chika presented herself as the leader of the children even though she the youngest of the lot. Two years later when Chika's face began to droop and her gait changed, Mitch, who had then taken over the responsibility of running the orphanage, decided to bring Chika to America to get her tested. After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, they decide to fight against the tumour. Mitch and Janine, who don't have a child of their own, soon come to consider Chika as their daughter and find their routines changing to accommodate a child.
•
Mitch narrates this memoir to Chika herself, who appears out of thin air and urges him to write about her. He lists down what the child taught him during her brief stay with the couple, narrowing it down to seven teachings. All of Chika's quirks, her eagerness to make friends of all ages, her strong voice and no-nonsense attitude; all of these are written fondly by Mitch. But what set her apart was her determination and strength to fight the tumour for years. Their relentless pursuit of cure and trips to various clinics became part of their daily lives. Mitch often took a breather from his work to spend time with Chika, taking in all that she had to offer during her short stay. But life has never known to be fair and with every chapter closer to the end, I felt my heart sink deeper into the pit of my stomach. This book is melancholic in nature, but in spite of all the sadness and grief it carries, Mitch convinces the readers to look at the brighter side of life. Chika's story is impactful and its wonderful how a child is capable of creating such a meaningful difference in someone's life. The innocence that usually comes with children and their curiousity about everything under the sky is beautifully captured in this memoir. Before I read this, I considered Mitch as just an author but the fact that he runs an orphanage in a povery ridden country came as a pleasant surprise. With this book, Mitch does it again. He breaks hearts into tiny pieces to only fix them, making us see the world differently.
•
Let me end the review with this - "Families are like pieces of art, they can be made from many materials. Sometimes they are from birth, sometimes they are melded, sometimes they are merely time and circumstance mixing together, like eggs being scrambled in a Michigan kitchen. But no matter how a family comes together, and no matter how it comes apart, this is true and will always be true: you cannot lose a child. And we did not lose a child. We were given one. And she was glorious.”
•
Rating : 5/5.