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A review by shahrun
Falling Leaves: The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah
5.0
This book chronicles the seriously dysfunctional family life of the author. I cannot imagine the strength and courage it took to write and share this book. She tells her story with great dignity, very simply and with no sensationalist waffle. She balances the details and background events nicely. I found it very inspirational how author overcame all obstacles to become a Doctor, Wife and Mother, whilst getting on with her life and the crazy things that kept on happening to her. I don’t know how she could continue to be so nice to her family after all the shit they did to her. I guess she just wanted acceptance, acknowledgement and love. I loved the use of Chinese characters and the chapter names were Chinese sayings. I would have loved to study Chinese calligraphy and character meanings with Ye Ye. The tiny insights from him were fascinating. What a shame there were no photographs or a map of China. I also fell in love with Great Aunt and Aunt Baba. She said made two very interesting statements:
1 - “I often think of life as a deposit of time. We are each allocated so many years, just like a fixed sum in a bank. When twenty-four hours have passed I have spent one more day. I read in the People’s Daily that the average life expectancy for a Chinese woman in seventy-two. I am already seventy-four years old. I spent all my deposits two years ago and am on bonus time. Every day is already a gift. What is there to complain of?”
2 - “the nineteenth century was a British century. The twentieth century is an American century. I predict the twenty-first will be a Chinese century”. I think she right on the money there. I hope I get to visit China one day!
1 - “I often think of life as a deposit of time. We are each allocated so many years, just like a fixed sum in a bank. When twenty-four hours have passed I have spent one more day. I read in the People’s Daily that the average life expectancy for a Chinese woman in seventy-two. I am already seventy-four years old. I spent all my deposits two years ago and am on bonus time. Every day is already a gift. What is there to complain of?”
2 - “the nineteenth century was a British century. The twentieth century is an American century. I predict the twenty-first will be a Chinese century”. I think she right on the money there. I hope I get to visit China one day!