Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story [Paperback]

James Derk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2006

"Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story" is a heart-warming account of an Indiana couple who set out to adopt a child from an orphanage in Eastern Europe but wouldn't stop until they had brought home six children.Fighting red-tape all the way, Jim & Kim Derk were determined to reunite a split-up family and then keep them together at all costs.A must-read for anyone considering international adoption, this heart-felt book offers much insight into what really happens when Americans head overseas to foreign orphanages.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Derk, a native of Chicago, has been honored with more than 40 journalism awards, including News Writer of the Year for Scripps Howard Newspapers. In a 17-year newspaper career he became a specialist in First Amendment issues and aviation and was one of the first reporters to practice "computer-assisted reporting" before the birth of the Internet. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. A dedicated community volunteer, he is chairman of GE Volunteers in the Ohio Valley, Chairman of the IT Alliance at the School of Business at the University of Southern Indiana and assistant Cubmaster for Cub Scout Pack 305 in Newburgh, Indiana.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Years ago Kimberly and I had seen a haunting story on ABC's "20/20" of Romanian orphans confined to cribs, rocking themselves to sleep.

That's what we expected to find in neighboring Hungary, but we found nothing like that, at least in this orphanage. The caregivers we saw really adored the kids; they were just overworked and overwhelmed. The setting itself was institutional to be sure, but clean and functional. The more time we spent at the orphanage, the more impressed we were with the care being offered there.

It was just heartbreaking to see children whom no one wants. I'm not sure any building would have been good enough.

We were told early on to avoid contact with the other children in the orphanage so they didn't think they also would be leaving when we left with our four. But the other children craved attention so much that it became an impossible request to follow.

Kristian liked one goodnight kiss on each cheek and one on the forehead. While lying in the dark in his rusty bed he'd hold his hair up and back to expose his forehead for the last kiss. One night, after our goodnight ritual, I got up from my knees in his dimly lit room and saw every other kid in the darkened room holding his hair off his forehead, too. Kim and I just went down the line of rusty metal beds and gave them all a kiss, trying not to drip our tears on the last one.

You couldn't help but care about the other orphans there, but you didn't want to raise their hopes either. It was a very fine line, and we danced all over it every day.

We survived by telling ourselves we were taking more kids than we could carry out of there and that was all we could do ourselves. We were doing our part. It was a lot. But it didn't seem like enough.

We spent a lot of time learning the precise routine the kids followed in the orphanage because we'd have to keep it the same for a while once we had the kids in our care. Watching our children eat was a big lesson for us.

The youngest kids in the rooms always ate first; in our room that was our twins, Adam and Ava. The caregiver would prop the baby in one arm and proceed to -- I am selecting this verb carefully -- hoover the food into their mouths. It was so efficient and quick. None of the kids needed bibs and few spilled even one drop of the gruel being shoveled in. We were amazed at the speed a baby could consume ten ounces of vegetable puree, six ounces of applesauce and tea mixed with a little sugar and honey.

(We saw a lot of tea; it's much cheaper than milk.)

Then it was the older kids' turn. The children age 2 and up carried their own glass dishes from a rolling cart to a small table and set their own place. A large bowl of "Gulyás" (goulash), the real stuff, a thin broth with vegetables, was placed in the middle. Each child used the ladle to fill his/her own bowl, and each waited until all others were served. Then they thanked the cook for the food.

To a child, they ate course by course, every drop of every item offered, cleaned their spots and removed their dishes.

There were no complaints, comments or even conversation at the table. Everyone just sat there and ate in silence, sometimes smiling as something new arrived. Kim and I sat in abject silence at the spectacle of it all. It was fascinating. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425957129
• ISBN-13: 978-1425957124
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,120,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Story will Grab You By the Neck and Won't Let You Go, November 19, 2006

By 

Angular Velocity "angular" (Midwestern cornfield, sprawl imminent) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story (Paperback)

Ordered an autographed copy of this book online from the author's site [...] and could not put it down. This odyssey of a pair of Hoosiers involved with international adoption is both hilarious: a car that sounds like a weed-whacker, attempting to withdraw enough money out of a Hungarian ATM, the colorful people lining the main thoroughfare - and heart-breaking: so many kids, so much adoption red-tape, Christmas is petting a bunny taken through the orphanage in a small wagon, orphanage workers doing their best to try and make a home for these children, and the Derks' goodnights to the orphans.
I cannot get the image of the ones left behind out of my head.
There needs to be a sequel. How are the kids doing in school? Were there problems after the kids got to America? How long did it take them to adapt - or was it effortless? How do they feel about their home - is the little boy who liked to put things together and take them apart well on the road to a physics scholarship yet - and are there more sisters or brothers in Hungary?
The parts of this book that are funny are absolutely can't-breathe-for-laughing funny. And the parts that are sad...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart-warming story of international adoption, November 17, 2006

By 

Noone in Particular - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story (Hardcover)

This is the amazing story of a midwest couple who adopted four children from Hungary, only to return again to adopt a little boy and then AGAIN to adopt a little girl. That brought the number of children in their household to eight!

Told from the father's perspective with a warm sense of humor, this is a great book for prospective adoptive parents because it tells the real story about what happens when Americans head overseas.

Contains many good tips and advice.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Hungarian Adoption Odyssey, November 19, 2006

By 

W. F. Borman "Former Web Editor, SW Indiana P... (Evansville, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hungarian Rhapsody: An Adoption Story (Paperback)

A tale of unbelievable bureauratic battles, tiring travels, great expense, language difficulties, and determined love involved in adopting four Hungarian sibling orphans, followed by two more siblings in later years. A heartwarming story, told with humor, about the children,their dedicated care givers in the Hungarian orphanage, and the determined adopting parents who would not be discouraged by the many obstacles in their path.
If you liked "Daddy Longlegs" you'll love this book.
A page turner.