The Awakening of HK Derryberry: My Unlikely Friendship with the Boy Who Remembers Everything

This is a very interesting and well written story of a remarkable young man and his mentor.Come on, someone do this with me! Facebook is supposed to be SOCIAL so let's learn about each other. 😉✍ Tattoos... No😷 Surgeries... 5🏥 Broken bones... 1🔫 Shot a gun.. Yes😕 Quit a job.. Yes✈️ Flown on a plane... Yes🚙💨 Driven 100mph...Yes (young and stupid)🚁 Ridden in a helicopter..No⛑ Gone zip lining... Yes (homemade as a kid)🍼 Watched someone give birth...No😯 Watched someone dying...Yes🏈 Been to an NFL game.. No🍁 Been to Canada... Yes🚑 Ridden in an ambulance... Yes🏦 Visited Washington D.C...Yes🌞 Visited Florida... Yes🇵🇭 Visited Philippines... Yes🇵🇹 Visited Portugal... Yes🇰🇷 Visited South Korea... Yes🍔 Eaten alone at a restaurant...Yes🎤 Sung karaoke... No🐶 Had a pet(s)...Yes🎿 Been downhill skiing..No🎼 Ability to read music...poorly🚵 Ridden a motorcycle... Yes🏇 Ridden a horse... Yes🏥 Stayed in a hospital.... Yes💉 Donated blood..... No🏕 Slept outside... Yes🚗 Driven a stick shift... Yes🚓 Ridden in a cop car... No🚤 Driven a Boat...Yes🐌 Eaten Escargot... No👽 Seen a UFO... No🚢 Been on a Cruise... No⛽️ Run out of Gas...Yes🍣 Eaten Sushi...Yes👻 Seen a ghost...NoHold your finger down and select Copy. Then go to your status and paste. Change the answers and post to your wall.

this is such a heart warming book. Its sad but also has so much positive things. I highly recommend it. I admire so much Mr and Mrs Bradford for embracing this young man. I'm sure he is a joy to be around although I'm sure it takes a lot of patience. I saw him and Mr.Bradford on Mike Huckabee's new show on TBN. Its such a great show. comes on sat and sunday nights at 5pm or 8pm which ever you want to watch. its the same show both nights, just gives you an option. Mike Rowe is coming on with his new show sat night right after Mr. Huckabee's show. I'm so glad TBN is bringing on quality shows. they also had on a great movie I watched last week after the Huckabee show. This book really is a must read and its not expensive.

This is the most disappointing book I’ve read in a long time. The title infers that it is about the Awakening of a boy named H.K. Derryberry when it should actually be titled, “The amazing accomplishments of Jim Bradford” because the book contained more bragging by the author than it does a young man’s awakening.The book was recommended by Audible. I thought it would be similar to “Same Kind of Different as Me”. A story about an affluent man who is blessed and humbled by his encounter with someone so out of his socio-economic circle. THIS STORY IS NOT THAT STORY. This is about an affluent man who spends his time boasting about what he and his wife have done for this “poor disable child”. (The Narrator mentions over and over again how H.K. is a disabled, he also makes sure to mention his tennis meetings, covered boat dock, exclusive neighborhood, etc). He goes on to mention how surprised and shocked the world should be that H.K. can do things. He reinforces stereotypes by mentioning how a blind person can never enjoy sports unless they have someone like Jim Bradford to explain it. I’m guessing the author has never heard of Helen Keller or Craig MacFarlane. It seems like the author missed the lesson in humility God might have been trying to teach him because Jim Bradford was too busy being the boy’s savior.Through-out the book I was saddened at the transformation of a boy who used to ask people “What’s your name?” and say “I love you.” Into someone who said, “I’m H.K. and I’m famous.” Who needs that kind of awakening?You can skip the chapter called “The Flood” because 85% of the chapter is about the author and how his affluent house was damaged. The book had more “I” and “me” pronouns in it than “he” or “him.” An example of my frustration with this story came in Chapter 33 when the author was forced to use the pronoun “he” more than “I” because he had to quote medical professionals, but he managed to make some part of the chapter about himself when H.K. embarrassed him with his talent to remember things.Skip this book if you are looking to be inspired by H.K.Read it if you want to celebrate what Jim Bradford has done.

I met HK and his grandmother/mother over 10 years ago. There is no doubt in my mind God smiled on me that day and sent me one of His greatest gifts. I am very familiar with this young man's amazing story. But after reading this book I realized there was so much more I did not know. So much more to inspire awe, so much more to give one hope, so many reason to believe in miracles, and so very much to thank God for every day. He and his Grandmother are clearly two of God's favorites and I will feel eternally blessed for having met them. Please, please read this wonderful book. It will most definitely change your life. Thank you Jim and thank you Andy for loving this miracle as much as I do!

This is the story of a young boy with serious physical issues, including cerebral palsy and blindness. His mother died and his father was/maybe still is a ne'er do well. HK's paternal grandmother took it upon herself to raise him and did the best she could under trying circumstances. Until Mr Bradford found him, HK spent many hours at the diner where his grandmother worked,sitting in a booth, listening to preachers on a boombox which was held together with duct tape. Mr Bradford slowly befriended the boy and the resulting relationship changed both of their lives. An uplifting story, and an easy read, but also almost too good to be true.

This book amazed me. Very well written. Lovable characters. Once again - God loves the little children.

A gift for a friend who said it was brilliant.

OMG!!!!! What a fantastic read , very well written.

Really touching book, well worth a read.

Brilliant book !