The Awakening of HK Derryberry is the inspiring story of how one man was willing to step out of his upper middle-class world into the life of a young, disabled boy with a dismal future. Little did Jim Bradford know the transformational potential of that friendship—for HK and himself.
HK Derryberry came into the world with the odds stacked heavily against him. He was taken from his unmarried mother’s womb three months prematurely when she was killed in a car wreck. After ninety-six days of seesawing between life and death, HK’s grandmother took him home.
One Saturday morning Jim Bradford, a successful businessman in his mid-fifties, happens into Mrs. Winner’s Chicken and Biscuits and sees a nine-year-old’s head pressed down against a black plastic boom box with a crooked antenna and three strips of silver duct tape stretched across the battery cover. He can’t help but notice the long, white plastic braces on each of the child’s legs. Mr. Bradford learns that HK’s grandmother is forced to bring him to the fast-food restaurant where she works, leaving him to sit alone all day at a small table, with only his boom box for company. On subsequent Saturdays Jim feels drawn back to the restaurant to meet with HK and begins spending every weekend with him.
What a story and what a Miracle child HK was. The very fact that he lived is miracle number one. He got exceptionally great care in the hospital but it came with no guarantees that he would survive. In fact more than once they didn't expect him to. I'm also glad that the story didn't end there but we get to see so much more of how his life went on from there. What a great story of a unique friendship and how it started and continued. And how after many years it became more like they were father and son too, that is so easy to understand.
In some ways this story is also about HK's grandmother, Pearl. She kept things going through some pretty tough things. She was creative. determined and persevering. Not only was she persevering against the health issues HK faced but also against the living paycheck to paycheck. There were very few people in their lives that could give a helping hand. Also very little family help, although Pearl's mother did move in and help for 2 years.
I did like that there was mention of some other people who did come along side to help as time went on.
It was encouraging to see that they did gather other people who helped. For example teachers who saw his potential and put action to that belief.
I knew this story would probably be a tear-jerker and I waited to start it because of that. I had to psych myself up because I knew it could get to me and it did. It was also often times humbling to read. Just the joy that a small boy had at the opportunity to have chocolate milk. The chocolate milk story all on its own was something else. There is laughter too, I can't leave that part out either. Many, many examples of howling laughter shared.
One of my favorite explanations of HK that Jim used is that he is a Pick pocket. People would meet him and their hearts were captured. He gained his own little band of merry men and women who he charmed. Opportunity after opportunity opens up to HK and its exciting to read about it. You know all of his challenges aren't over but these glimpses into these opportunities of meeting people and doing things most "normal" people don't lighten the story.
There is one thing that the Jim said that really stood out and really struck a cord of truth. He thought that the world could be such a better place if it saw life the way HK did. He saw it through his heart instead of his eyes.
The pictures included in the book was a bonus that I wasn't necessarily expecting.
There several recommendations/praises for the book in the front of it. My favorite has to be the one that
Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medalist, wrote. I am also very happy Andy Hardin helped with this project so that this story could be told.
I received a copy of this book via Handlebar Publishing and this is my honest opinion of it.
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