Love in the Driest Season : A Family Memoir

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Summary: Love in the Driest Season
Review: I read this book in one day and it gripped me from the 1st page. I ran the gammot of emotions from pity to outrage, to happiness, and excitement. Neely and Vita are strong and very determined people who allowed nothing to stop them in their quest to make Chipo their daughter. If I thought I COULD I would be adopting a child so desperately in need but the government needs to make SWEEPING changes in order to give these poor sick deglected babies even the smallest chance at life and love. You will come away deeply affected by this book,

Rating:
Summary: Many fascinating stories in one..... too rushed...
Review: I recommend this book but be warned....
Neely Tucker's life as a foriegn correspondent required he write quick short summaries and that habit left this book choppy and somewhat confusing. There is so much more that could be said about his historic childhood, his rise from poverty, his heroic life as a foreign correspondent, his brave marriage and then his life with his daughter. Neely lived 'large'. This was a big life and needed a bigger book.
Glad I read it ...would like to read more.

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Summary: For the love of a child.
Review: Neely Tucker, a white journalist posted in Zimbabwe, and his wife Vita, a black woman, fall in love with a female infant in an orphanage in that country. The baby's name is Chipo, which means "gift" in the local language. The story, a family memoir, details the couple's attempts to adopt this baby with whom they have fallen in love. The story also explains the political situation in Zimbabwe, which is unstable and volatile, especially toward foreign journalists. There is also a great deal of information about the AIDS crisis in Africa, and how this dread disease has impacted so many families and created millions of orphans. These three topics were interwoven in the book to make a fascinating and extremely interesting story. I could feel the Tuckers' frustration with the bureaucratic red tape they had to wade through in order to someday adopt Chipo. I admired their tenacity--all because of their intense love for this beautiful baby. It would be interesting to follow this little girl into adulthood, and I hope Neely Tucker has such a possibility in mind.