Book Review: There is No Me Without You by Melissa Faye Greene

This work chroicles one woman's life as a "rescuer of children" in her homeland of Ethiopia. Her name is Heregewoin Tefarra and she stumbled upon her calling as surrogate mother to hundreds of children who became orphans due to to poverty, AIDS, or other diseases. Melissa Greene visits Ethiopia, and Heregewoin's orphan care home (s), and eventually develops a close relationship with this woman.
There are several strengths of this book which combine to make it a must read for anyone seeking to adopt, especially from Ethiopia. First, Greene's writing abilities are tremendous and she literally "paints" a picture of this country, these people, and these circumstances, with eloquent words. My heart broke, rejoiced, and broke again as she took me through the orphan-to-adoption stories of several children. Another strength is that the author provides insight into the hearts and minds of the children, the caregivers, and the adoptive parents. The questions I found myself asking, such as "How will an older child adjust to a new family after having already had one previously?" and "What about all the horror stories and cautionary advice we've received on the dangers of adopting an older child?", were all answered through the real-life experiences and words of those who had the courage and strength to take those leaps. One of the greatest strengths of this book comes from the author's own truthful account of the situations and circumstances she witnessed. She reveals the good, the bad, and the ugly while still maintaing a compassinate balance. In other words, the people and events in the book are not made to seem super-human in any way. This, I feel, contributes to the authenticity of the book. Greene, herself, has adopted four children from Ethiopia- all of which are older children.
Finally, I must say that the best part of this book for me was the wake-up call I received from the insight into the AIDS crisis in Ethiopia. As a Christian, I can not adequately describe to you how God dealt with us in regard to our comfortable complacency regarding the plight of the orphan, widowed, and oppressed. I am ashamed to admit that I did previously know about the AIDS epidemic, but I frankly did not care much. By care, I mean actually DOING something to remedy the situation- or at the very least alleviate it to a degree. I recognize that no one person, no thousand people, can FIX the AIDS and orphan crisis in Africa. However, as a Christian I can pray for these people, I can tell others about this problem, I can give my time and money to ministries and organizations that are doing the hard work of helping these people, I can go to Africa and help physically and mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice. Of course, I can adopt an orphan from this beautiful country and allow God to knit us together as a family. I can allow God to express His love for her and for me and for the world through our family. So, there is so much I can do. This powerful book was used by God to change my life and I pray that you will read it as well and allow Him to speak to you.