February 24, 2010 7:27 PM
African Adoption: Love in the Driest Season
I thought of this book yesterday when someone wrote me of their pending adoption from Ethiopia. This riveting story of a couple who adopted a baby from Zimbabwe is sure to resonate with any parents involved in international adoptions. I published my review in 2006, and now you can pick up this book for
Just finished reading Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir, an exciting and tender memoir by Neely Tucker, who currently writes for The Washington Post.
Love chronicles Tucker's coming of age as a white boy in Mississippi - including his growing awareness of racism -his move north to work for The Detroit Free Press and his marriage to Vita, whom he calls "the girl next door" not only because she lived in the apartment next to him, but because they are pleasantly surprised that a Motown girl and a white guy from the Deep South actually have so much in common.
Tucker's work as a foreign correspondent takes him to Africa to cover all the hot spots and dangerous situations. Because she is unable to have children, Vita is free to travel with him. Tucker's ambivalence toward the U.S. - largely due to his revulsion towards racism and his disconnect from his family - leaves them free to envision a future anywhere. Neither has any personal ties or desire to return. Tucker is passionate about his work, but notes that seeing so much inhumanity and horror has completely hardened his heart.
The instrument of his emotional growth comes in the form of a dying baby girl he and Vita encounter while volunteering at a Zimbabwe orphanage. Tucker guides readers through an up-close and personal understanding of the fallout from AIDS in Africa - which he was experiencing through his work in the orphanage long before the world took notice.
It's not news that the AIDS epidemic in Africa has left hundreds of thousands of orphans. What will be news to most readers is the background that makes the situation so much worse: because the safety net for orphaned children had always been extended families, there existed little infrastructure for adoption as well as suspicion toward foreigners wishing to adopt.
When Tucker and Vita arrange to bring Chipo home - away from the ill-equipped and understaffed orphanage where babies are dropping like flies - not only do they nurse her to health, but they fall in love with her and apply to adopt her.
Zimbabwe had rarely allowed a foreign adoption. Since the country had no understanding of why anyone would want to adopt a baby and since Tucker was white, they were looked upon with scorn and suspicion. Tucker's tales of being called away to cover the horrors unfolding in surrounding countries are intertwined with the smaller horror of dealing with a frustrating and unresponsive bureaucracy.
If you are going to read the book, you might want to skip the following summary of the resolution of this tale - which involved not only the successful and miraculous adoption of Chipo, but also the role Chipo played in Tucker's reconciliation with his family and his country.
Although his parents had shunned his marriage to Vita, the existence of their only grandchild - no matter what color - drew them back. His mother made a beautiful and thorough apology to Vita and Vita completely forgave her. Tucker realized his relationship to his daughter was more important than the adrenaline rush of covering international hot spots and returned home to work at the Post, write this book, and do some public speaking. Vita now works for WorldVison.
Though Tucker rarely mentions God, the events as they unfold point to his presence and direct intervention. And the book is so compellingly written, I could barely put it down.
Please leave a comment if you are adopting a child - from Africa or any country - so we can pray for you.
Posted in Adoption, Books | Permalink
Comments
Thank you for reminding me of this book, which I have sitting on a shelf. I've had to give up most non-essential reading in the past couple of years, but am trying to fit in more this year. I'm going to put this one near the top of my 2010 list!
-adoptive mom of an Ethiopian sweetie
Posted by: Marian | February 24, 2010 7:55 PM
Thank you for the book recommendation. We are parents of three girls, 16, 3, and 2 and have begun the process of adding to our family through adoption from Ethiopia. Thank you for your support and encouragement. It was your blog that led me to the adoption agency we are using.
Jennifer
Posted by: Jennifer | February 24, 2010 10:31 PM
We are in process for an American, biracial, special needs 2 year old that is currently in foster care. We've been paper-ready for a year, and in talks concerning this case for 5 months. He
has changed social workers, and social worker supervisors, and the adoption has seemed to stall out because of the bureaucracy changing. Please pray for this little boy to have a home and a family, and for our family to be able to resolve the situation. We have 5 kids at home - 4 bios, 1 adopted. We would love to have 6!
Posted by: Sue | February 24, 2010 11:04 PM
