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by Adeline Yen Mah
Biographies and Memoirs
274 pages
"The wound on my wrist healed, but the scar lingered like a memorial to a beloved fallen friend, accompanying me wherever I went, whatever I did."
This book is the true story of an unwanted Chinese daughter and her struggle from childhood into adulthood. Her struggle was her family, and mainly her Niang (Chinese word for Step-Mother.). The book gives you a glimpse into Chinese history and what it's like to be a girl in twentieth century China.
Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest childest born to a upperclass Chinese family. She had one sister (Lydia) and three brothers (Gregory, Edgar, and James). When she was a few days old, her mother died from complications due to childbirth. This is when all the trouble started to happen.
A few years later her father married her Niang, and Niang was the cause of much of her horrible childhood. Niang was a terrible women, and very manipulative. She even disowned her own daughter (Susan) later in life.
The biggest influence in Adeline's life was her Aunt Baba,who was basically forced to become the children's caregiver after their mother died, (due to Chinese culture),and was a mother to Adeline. Adeline attributes much of her success to her aunt. With Aunt Baba's encouragement Adeline strived in school, and become number one in most of her schools. Her schoolwork was her only "out." It was were she could get away from it all. She moved to the United States after attending college in England. She is now a physician and writer.
This book is full of themes. There are so many references to different Chinese myths. I think the biggest theme in this book is to never give up. There were many times when Adeline could have given up, but she didn't. She chose to make a better life for herself. She finally let all those feelings about her family just go and stop running her life. You can't help who your family is, but you can make the best of it and it can make you a better person. Don't let other people bring you down and follow your heart.
Through all the hard times Adeline went through, she could have became bitter, but she didn't. She has so much more to be thankful for and she can't keep being bitter about the past, because the past is the past. She realizes that she does and did have some great people in her life.
- Reviewed by Kashia G.
React to this Review Great Rivers Regional Library
Hennepin County Library
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