Finding Chika: Book review


Title: Finding Chika
Author: Mitch Albom
Genre: Memoir/Non fiction

Families are made not necessarily by birth but by unexpected circumstances.

‘Finding Chika’ emphasizes this fact and much more.

After Tuesdays with Morrie, author Mitch Albom returns with yet another memoir that tugs the strings of your heart.

Chika is a young orphan who was born 3 days before the Haiti earthquake in 2010. After losing her mother to death, Chika is admitted to Have Faith Haiti orphanage, which Mitch Albom operates in Port-au-Prince.  Mitch and his wife Janine have no children of their own so they treat the children in their orphanage as their family.

When Chika arrives, she wins hearts quickly with her confidence and curiosity. At the age of five, she is diagonosed with a tumour. She is brought to America for better medical care and slowly becomes a vital part of Mitch’s family. The book goes on to describe the 2 year ordeal of trying to find a cure for Chika’s rare condition. Through a tumultuous journey of laughter and tears, Mitch and Janine learn the importance of family, love and parenting.

Poignant, heartwarming and bittersweet, Mitch traces his rapport with Chika, her fighter spirit and how it changed his life. He refers to Tuesday’s with Morrie in one section of the book, drawing parallels to his learnings from his favorite professor to his current learnings from Chika.

He describes his musings on faith, belief, acceptance and  belonging. The author showcases his vulnerable side while penning down about Chika. The  little girl manages to win the hearts of the readers with her display of surety and maturity. It reminds one of the little girl’s character from R Balki’s film and the Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Cheeni Kum’.

Finding Chika is a remarkable read which is bound to leave you moist eyed.

Felt especially blessed to read this on  thanksgiving day.

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