Heartbreakingly beautiful. A story about love, family, and sacrifice. I flew through this book in less than two days, a possible new favorite from this author!

Not many books make me cry. This one did. My heart was touched. Even though you know from page one what is going to happen in the end, you keep trying to hold out for hope. Beautifully written.

A simple candid telling of Albom's deeply personal experience with a terminally ill orphan from Haiti named Chika. Chika's circumstances are sad and unfair but the way her story is written is more joyous than depressing. By the time I finished the book I felt as if I knew her. There's no doubt she was a special little girl who is loved very much. There's a part in the book where Albom says something about selfishness and time. That part really hit home and I've probably gone back and re-read it a hundred times. Couldn't be more true!

This is a very short, sweet and simple story. If you love Mitch Albom there is no way that you will not be touched by this book. After struggling with the loss of two babies this year, I found this book to be especially powerful for me. It put into words some of the things I didn't know how to express. Thanks as always to Albom for writing the feelings so many of us have a hard time putting into words. This book was a healing way to wrap up my reading for 2019.

Mitch Albom writes another powerful memoir about dying, yes, but really about how to live. Chika is a delightful girl from Haiti who is diagnosed with a brain tumor. She travels to the US to live with Mitch and his wife, Janine, tio receive medical treatment.
What follows is a story rich in love and hope as they struggle against time. Beautifully written. Chika is a delightful child.

I requested this book because it was about a little girl from a Haitian orphanage. I went to Haiti 2 years ago to an orphanage, and so many times the book brought back the memories of that trip.
The story of Chika is not a sad one, although I did cry at times. Chika, like the children I met in Haiti, was happy to live the life she had. Enjoying it all, and leaving a little piece of her joy with the people she met.

A sweet and heartbreaking tale. I loved how Albom and his wife were able to impact this little girl's life and be touched in return.

I have loved every book I've read by Mitch Albom and Finding Chika was no different. Beautifully written, thought-provoking and a read that will stick with you long after you've finished. I will continue to read anything written by Albom and recommend this book!

This book is written as only Mitch Albom can do. Heart and soul. This book is touching, heart-wrenching, fearful, fearless and tender. His prose is, as always, perfect and truthful and so relatable. Just wonderful. We should all be so blessed to have a Chika 'spirit' in our lives. Someone who brings joy and wonder and delight and truth, no matter what. While the journey with Chika was both long (in the process, never the hope) and yet not long enough, Mitch and his wife earned every bit of the words 'guardians' and 'parents'. Lovely, real, human, beautiful memory book.

For years, Mitch Albom has graced us with fictional stories that made us think. Characters that stuck in our minds. Wisdom and quotes to last a lifetime. Finally, the bestselling author shares his own true story. The memoir is heartbreaking, joyful, sad yet full of life. Finding Chika is about a little girl, an earthquake, and the making of a family.

Chika is a young Haitian orphan born three days before the record-breaking devastating earthquake in 2010. By divine design (my words, not his), Chika was placed at The Have Faith Haiti Mission Orphanage that Mitch Albom operates in Port au Prince. With no children of their own, the children of the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. So when Chika is diagnosed with an illness that cannot be cured in Haiti, Mitch and Janine bring Chika and a mountain of hope back home to Detroit. And so begins a two-year-journey literally around the world to find a cure and healing.

The book is told in brilliant hindsight narrative with conversations/visions between Mitch and Chika. Through the pages, readers can feel their special bond, the unconditional love, the struggles of healthcare, the lengths family go to help one another and the celebration of life. The words are so descriptive that I could hear Chika's voice as if she were in the room with me. I could feel Mitch and Janine's desperation to find healing no matter the expense. Finding Chika has easily earned a spot in my Top Books of 2019. So well done!

Happy Pub Day, Mitch Albom! Finding Chika is available today.

LiteraryMarie

Beautiful heartbreaking story ... glad I read it but there were definitely tears in my eyes through the last few chapters of the book. It is the story of how the author and his wife, who fund an orphanage in Haiti, care for a Haitian child suffering from cancer. This book stands out as a book on parenting through adversity and loss. There is a large audience for this book in my library. I will be recommending this book to our patrons.

A predictably good book by a famous author. It's touching and of course well-written narrative, this time as non-fiction. Hardly a surprise to recommend this one.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

Finding Chika is an amazing gift! It is heartwarming, funny, sad and inspirational. Live life to the fullest without regrets. Would highly recommend!!

"Finding Chika" is an incredible moving and heartbreaking story of a little girl, who despite a cruel medical diagnosis, brought joy and happiness to everyone she met. Hoping American doctors could help this beautiful little girl, author Mitch Albom and his wonderful wife Janine, welcome Chika into their home and hearts. I have nothing but the highest admiration for this family for sharing with the world Chika's journey and her bright spirit. Filled with love, faith, inspiration and hope this may be Mitch Albom's bravest book of his career. I highly recommend this poignant celebration of life.

I couldn't get through this. The format kind of threw me off of going back and forth. It though will be popular based on the popularity of the author.

Once again Mitch Albom has deftly drawn the reader into his life. He shares a very painful loss as he also shares the joy that Chika, a small, ill child from Haiti, brings into his and his wife’s lives. He makes Chika’s short life glow with deep emotions as he struggles to understand her illness and death.

Thank you so much to NETGALLEY for providing me with this most wonderful book.

This is a touching tribute to a child who capture the heart and soul of author Mitch Albom and his wife Janine. You will laugh...you will cry...but you will never forget the story of this very special family. Mr. Albom is honest and pulls no punches in his feelings and experiences in relating the story of how their little family came to be. The story is told in a very unique manner which makes this book a joy to read.

A very special journey that should not be missed.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Touching tribute to Chitka, whom the author and his wife rescued from a Haitian orphanage so she could receive better medical care in the United States. I loved Chitka’s spirit! I will think of her when things are tough.

I was a bit confused at times if the author was imagining Chitka’s presence or if they were true memories.

My favorite book by this author remains Tuesdays with Morrie.

Identical review posted on GoodReads.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to read this book prior to its release on November 5, 2019. To all the fans of Mitch Albom, and who isn’t a fan-his books have collectively sold more than 40 million copies- I can assure you that this non-fiction book is Mr. Albom at his best.

The book is subtitled “a little girl, an earthquake and the making of a family”. The little girl is Chika, a three year old child who was orphaned in the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010. As a result, Chika came to live in the Haitian orphanage run by the author. “Though she be but little, she is fierce.” Chika’s vibrant and assertive personality made her a favorite. When she was five, she developed some devastating symptoms and so Mr. Albom brought her back to America for treatment.

Chika’s prognosis was grim, but that is not the real story of this book. The real story is how “Mr. Mitch”, “Miss Janine” and Chika created a family. In his simple, clear, open way, the author shares how the love for a child changed his life for the better. He saw that a family can be created from a variety of materials and God’s love shines through children.

Filled with faith, inspiration, and hope, this lovely book will take you away from your everyday concerns and have you thinking about life, love and the big picture. If you cry easily, this book will wrench you from the start. But I don’t think Chika would want you to be sad. She would want you to live and have fun and tell people that you love them.

Many thanks to NetGalley, and HarperCollins Publishers for a digital review copy. This is my honest review. And thanks to the author for his beautiful spirit. Mr. Albom founded a charity in Detroit that oversees nine full-time charities and in 2010 he began operating a mission and orphanage in Haiti.

This was a very thought provoking book about life and what really matters most. Mitch Albom does a great job telling the story of a Haitian orphan who has been entrusted to the care of he and his wife. Although they had no children of their own she quickly became a part of their family as they try to fight her illness. Chika in turn teaches them how to live life to it’s fullest and value the smallest of moments. The author had a unique writing style for telling this story that made it very engaging. Lastly, have your tissues ready because you are going to need them! Great job! 5 well deserved stars! #FindingChika #MitchAlbom #NetGalley