Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
6th out of 83 books
—
16 voters
Love in the Driest Season: A Family Memoir
by
Neely Tucker
In 1997 foreign correspondent Neely Tucker and his wife, Vita, arrived in Zimbabwe. After witnessing the devastating consequences of AIDS and economic disaster on the country’s children, the couple started volunteering at an orphanage where a critically ill infant, abandoned in a field on the day she was born, was trusted to their care. Within weeks, Chipo, the baby girl w...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 5th 2005
by Broadway
(first published December 9th 2003)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
2,133)
This is such a compelling story that paucity of dialogue wasn't such a detractant, although I noticed it throughout. The story is told by a journalist, thus it reads more like the account that it is instead of a fictional story. And it's a powerful story indeed. The reader feels frustration and numbing realities along with the author. I loved this story. It's well worth the read; I listened to it on CD. The reader learns along the way, always a good thing. And the realities in Africa are chillin...more
Book Three of Summer Reading List.
I got this book two years ago (maybe three) and never picked it up because I wasn't really interested in reading about families, adoption, or babies in Africa. I only plucked it from my shelves this summer so that I could fit in my one "must read" non-fiction for summer. And I was EXTREMELY SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH I LIKED IT!
Neely Tucker is a white southern journalist who is married to Vita, a black, Detroit woman. After moving around the world, Tucker is posted i...more
I got this book two years ago (maybe three) and never picked it up because I wasn't really interested in reading about families, adoption, or babies in Africa. I only plucked it from my shelves this summer so that I could fit in my one "must read" non-fiction for summer. And I was EXTREMELY SURPRISED AT HOW MUCH I LIKED IT!
Neely Tucker is a white southern journalist who is married to Vita, a black, Detroit woman. After moving around the world, Tucker is posted i...more
A moving tale of a bi-racial couple from America who meet a dying baby in an orphanage in Zimbabwe who takes there hearts. They begin a seemingly impossible struggle to save her while racing against the clock because of the husband's status as person non grata - he's a foreign correspondent during a time when the press are being blamed for all of the country's woes. This is so well written - and brought tears to my eyes twice within the first 25 pages. The author also gives a good background on...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This is a true story of a couple who move to Zimbabwe and end up trying to adopt an orphan. Although the baby has been entrusted to their care, the authorities don't trust their motives (the father is white and the mother is black and many times they are asked why a white man would be interested in adopting a black child) and the country's general policy is to forbid foreign adoptions.
Even knowing that the story has a happy ending (there's a beautiful picture of the family at the beginning of t...more
Even knowing that the story has a happy ending (there's a beautiful picture of the family at the beginning of t...more
A fascinating memoir of the author's time spent as a foreign correspondent in Zimbabwe in the late 1990s and the efforts of he and his wife to adopt a critically ill baby girl who they encounter when volunteering at a local orphanage. The conditions at the orphanage are heartbreaking and the difficulties they face in maneuvering the intricacies of politics and social service bureaucracy in the war-torn country frustrating beyond belief. This first-hand account is helpful in showing the reader s...more
I decided to read this memoir because it is about a time in Zimbabwe that I have some first hand knowledge of. I was visiting Zimbabwe between 1997 - 2000 prior to Mugabe's decision to take back the lands from White farmers. Neely Tucker and his wife were living there at that time and in this memoir you experience their frustration with bureaucracy and suspicion of American's through their efforts to adopt Chipo who was abandoned as an infant. Also of interest was the harrowing experiences Tucke...more
1 like · like · see review
This is a compelling story of an American couple's quest to adopt a baby in Zimbabwe while living there while Tucker was a foreign correspondent. While telling the story of Chipa, who was abandoned on the side of the road right after she was born, he also details what he experienced as a journalist in that war-torn country. I must say that is not for the feint of heart to read---He reports on what he saw and experienced with journalistic candor, which at times, was so grisly I had to put it down...more
I keep coming back to books set in Africa, and this one clearly did not disappoint. I was drawn to it initially as it was about adopting an African child, and I am an adoptive parent. But this story was so much more than that, politics, humanitarian issues, journalism and of course their love story. How Neely and his wife find each other is a great story in itself, but then the assignment in Zimbabwe with the horrific goings-on from Mugabe and his corrupt crowd, and the lovely innocent children...more
This is a very compelling story. It provides great insight into an interesting period in Zimbabwe's history and politics. It really illuminates the extent of the AIDS crisis in that country, making you feel the ripple effects of poverty and lack of educate, particularly one of the worst effects of all: the orphaning and needles deaths of thousands upon thousands of children. And at the same time, it gives the heart-breaking tale of one family's struggle to bring home their adopted daughter...to...more
I really enjoyed this book! Neely Tucker is a journalist and has been reporting in war-torn and AIDS ravaged countries so there are more than a few gritty parts when he describes conditions in the orphanage and much of the situation in Zimbawae. This is his story, him , his wife, and Chipo, an abandoned baby girl that entered and completely changed their lives. And he tells it in an engaging way. Your heart will rejoice with the Neelys who save this baby from a certain death in the under equippe...more
A beautiful, heart warming true story about an American mixed race couple and their struggles to adopt an abandoned baby girl in Zimbabwe in the late 90s. Not only is it a moving story of love and family, it's also a saddening insight into Zimbabwe as it started to plunge into chaos under Mugabe. Given how bad things were at that time, this book also has the unintended effect of bringing to mind how truly horrendous the current situation must be, with the economy, infrastructure, and health of i...more
I had avoided this book on my shelf because the title sounded dry and boring. It eneded up being a great read, so compelling that I finished it in one day. In the course of telling the story of his (and his wife's) quest to adopt a Zimbabwean orphan, he talks of his travel and work as a journalist covering international crises. Hearing bits about the conflicts in the Congo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sarajevo was also fascinating. So I was totally wrong about what I thought the novel was about, and am...more
I had to put this book down at times b/c of the sadness. It's starts out with an abandoned baby in Africa. (Just like Light in Snow, two abandoned babies in a row!)
This was a true story about a white foreign correspondent from Miss. married to a black woman from Detroit living in Africa. He traveled around Africa and the world reporting on war. They found a baby who was very sick. The orphanages are overwhelmed with babies who's parents either died of Aids or left it. Tucker and Vita took care o...more
This was a true story about a white foreign correspondent from Miss. married to a black woman from Detroit living in Africa. He traveled around Africa and the world reporting on war. They found a baby who was very sick. The orphanages are overwhelmed with babies who's parents either died of Aids or left it. Tucker and Vita took care o...more
This memoir covers the life of Neely Tucker, a journalist, who while stationed in Zimbabwe, falls in love with a sweet little African girl and begins the difficult journey of international adoption. The book discusses racial matters: Neely is a white male from the deep South of Mississippi, his wife, Vita, is an African American woman from Detroit. These characteristics actually prove to be hindrances to the obstacle of adopting Chipo. The book is actually pretty intense, Neely is an active jour...more
Aug 01, 2012
Michelle Robinson
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction
I felt that I was on this up and down hard adoption process with Neely tucker.
It was horrible to hear of how Chipo was found abandoned in the wilderness. I also find it interesting that while no less than 3 children were being abandoned a week, the government was going out of it's way to keep eligible people from adopting the orphans.
I loved the little pieces of Neely's family story that we were able to glimpse in this book. I also really liked Vita his wife.
This is a very worthwhile read.
It was horrible to hear of how Chipo was found abandoned in the wilderness. I also find it interesting that while no less than 3 children were being abandoned a week, the government was going out of it's way to keep eligible people from adopting the orphans.
I loved the little pieces of Neely's family story that we were able to glimpse in this book. I also really liked Vita his wife.
This is a very worthwhile read.
One can't help but admire the author's heartfelt desire to help a Zimbabwean orphan baby. But Tucker doesn't bother to explore or understand the political and historical background of his daughter's birth country. He is naturally frustrated by the poverty and corruption he witnesses, but can't understand why the black Africans he meets aren't universally thrilled that a white American is adopting one of "their" children. I wish this family all the best, but I wouldn't recommend the book.
"By noon, the ants had found the girl-child."
From the first paragraph, this book had us hooked. Not only is it a great story, but very well written. My wife and I are in a similar situation, living in Africa and trying to adopt a child we've had for years, and the book seems pretty realistic to us. Of note, the author is neither cynical nor romantic about his family's experiences, and gives us a very good picture of the struggles of his heart as well as the external struggle for adoption.
From the first paragraph, this book had us hooked. Not only is it a great story, but very well written. My wife and I are in a similar situation, living in Africa and trying to adopt a child we've had for years, and the book seems pretty realistic to us. Of note, the author is neither cynical nor romantic about his family's experiences, and gives us a very good picture of the struggles of his heart as well as the external struggle for adoption.
I love these kind of on-the-edge-of-your-seat wondering if (but still kind of knowing) it will all work out. This is a touching story about life for orphans in Zimbabwe in the late 90s and an uplifting, sweet adoption story. I was in Zimbabwe (briefly) during this same time and like the author, I definitely felt like I was there right before things really fell apart. The author is a journalist and his attention to detail definitely shows though. This is a short, quick read but I'm glad I read it...more
Foreign correspondent, Neely Tucker and his wife Vita live and work in Zimbabwe, Africa. They start volunteering at a state run orphanage where they meet lots of sick orphans. They fall in love with one of them in particular. Chipo is the light of their lives. She is very sick and they are able to bring her home and nurse her back to health. They then begin the very long task of trying to adopt her in a country falling a part around them. This was a very good read!
This story of a biracial American couple trying to adopt a baby in Zimbabwe really hooked me. At times it was difficult to digest the stories of violence and death, but it is part of what is going on there. I think Tucker did a wonderful job retelling his story.
This story has opened my eyes to the epidemic in Zimbabwe and the political unrest in that region. I also (especially today - Christmas) am even more appreciative of the peace and the lifestyle I am blessed with.
This story has opened my eyes to the epidemic in Zimbabwe and the political unrest in that region. I also (especially today - Christmas) am even more appreciative of the peace and the lifestyle I am blessed with.
You don't have to be on the adoption trail to appreciate the beauty of this book. I loved the author's style (Neely Tucker is a journalist) and his love for his wife and daughter is leaping off the pages. His story is very powerful in it's honesty of race, nationality and gender discrimination. There are many twists in this memoir and definitely moments of pure frustration. But the dedication and perseverance these parents exhibited are inspirational.
A book that teaches me about history and still keeps me interested in the story is just the perfect read. I listened to this one on CD and it was done well.
Foreign correspondent Neely Tucker and his wife arrived in Zimbabwe in 1997. They witness firsthand the devastating consequences of AIDS just as Zimbabwe is on the brink of destruction. The Tuckers were amazingly patient people.
A moving story but not overdone. Just a gentle reminder of what is going on around the world while we live our norm...more
Foreign correspondent Neely Tucker and his wife arrived in Zimbabwe in 1997. They witness firsthand the devastating consequences of AIDS just as Zimbabwe is on the brink of destruction. The Tuckers were amazingly patient people.
A moving story but not overdone. Just a gentle reminder of what is going on around the world while we live our norm...more
Neely Tucker and his wife Vita move to Zimbabwe where he is stationed as a foreign correspondent. At the time, AIDS, the economic and political unraveling of the country left thousands of orphans in its wake. While volunteering at an orphanage in Harare, an abandoned infant on the brink of death arrives and Vita is charged with taking the baby to the hospital for care. The hospital discharges the baby on the condition that she go home with Vita rather than back to the orphanage where she would s...more
The story of a white journalist from Mississippi and his African American wife's attempt to adopt a baby girl from Zimbabwe while they are living in the country. Also explores the AIDS crisis in Africa, the history of Zimbabwe, and race relations in both the U.S. and Zimbabwe. A bit slow moving at times, but fascinating, and I learned a lot about a country that has been all over the news lately!
To this day, Love in the Driest Season remains one of my all time favorite books. LitDS is true story of an American couple in Zimbabwe who challenge the status quo and fight to adopt a abandoned child. It touched a chord with me not only because my mother was raised in Zimbabwe, but because it's a story of love and family. This book will stay with you long after you finish the last page.
Who wouldn't like a well told story about folks trying to adopt a needy child in Africa? Its a nice story. But I got the feeling that Neely was more interested in praising himself than anything else.
Sometime after reading the book, I spent an evening with a former journalist colleague of Neely's - he had nothing good to say, which supported my gut feeling from reading the book.
Sometime after reading the book, I spent an evening with a former journalist colleague of Neely's - he had nothing good to say, which supported my gut feeling from reading the book.
Perhaps I'm a sap for giving this book five stars, but I completely enjoyed the story and was really moved by the struggles of Neely and Vita to adopt baby Chipo in Zimbabwe. The writing is engaging and crisp and there is a lot of humanity in the story.
It's a story about family (both traditional and non-traditional) and lengths a person can go to in order to help someone that is helpless. It's about race and class and foreignness. I also enjoyed the way that Tucker was unable to really express...more
It's a story about family (both traditional and non-traditional) and lengths a person can go to in order to help someone that is helpless. It's about race and class and foreignness. I also enjoyed the way that Tucker was unable to really express...more
This book was wonderful. I was engaged from the minute I opened it. It READS like fiction so to actually comprehend that this is, in fact, non-fiction is very difficult. I came away feeling more educated and more aware of the struggles that take place all over the world; this memoire really tells a story. A moving sorty well worth reading.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I woke up one morning to discover I had lost my religous faith, as if it were a suitcase left behind in a distant airport.”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
15. Juni, 14:47 Uhr