Free PDF Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, by Adeline Yen Mah
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Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter, by Adeline Yen Mah
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Born in 1937 in a port city a thousand miles north of Shanghai, Adeline Yen Mah was the youngest child of an affluent Chinese family who enjoyed rare privileges during a time of political and cultural upheaval. But wealth and position could not shield Adeline from a childhood of appalling emotional abuse at the hands of a cruel and manipulative Eurasian stepmother. Determined to survive through her enduring faith in family unity, Adeline struggled for independence as she moved from Hong Kong to England and eventually to the United States to become a physician and writer.
A compelling, painful, and ultimately triumphant story of a girl's journey into adulthood, Adeline's story is a testament to the most basic of human needs: acceptance, love, and understanding. With a powerful voice that speaks of the harsh realities of growing up female in a family and society that kept girls in emotional chains, Falling Leaves is a work of heartfelt intimacy and a rare authentic portrait of twentieth-century China.
- Sales Rank: #65443 in Books
- Color: Brown
- Brand: Broadway Books
- Published on: 1999-04-06
- Released on: 1999-04-06
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.00" h x .80" w x 5.20" l, .57 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 278 pages
- Great product!
Amazon.com Review
Snow White's stepmother looks like a pussycat compared to the monster under which Adeline Yen Mah suffered. The author's memoir of life in mainland China and--after the 1949 revolution--Hong Kong is a gruesome chronicle of nonstop emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife. Chinese proverbs scattered throughout the text pithily covey the traditional world view that prompted Adeline's subservience. Had she not escaped to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage, her story would be unbearable; instead, it's grimly fascinating: Falling Leaves is an Asian Mommie Dearest.
From Publishers Weekly
Although the focus of this memoir is the author's struggle to be loved by a family that treated her cruelly, it is more notable for its portrait of the domestic affairs of an immensely wealthy, Westernized Chinese family in Shanghai as the city evolved under the harsh strictures of Mao and Deng. Yen Mah's father knew how to make money and survive, regardless of the regime in power. In addition to an assortment of profitable enterprises, he stashed away two tons of gold in a Swiss bank, and eventually the family fled to Hong Kong. But he was indifferent to his seven children and in the thrall of a second wife who makes Cinderella's stepmother seem angelic. His first wife, Yen Mah's mother, died at her birth, and the child, considered an ill omen, was treated with crushing severity. But she was encouraged by the love of an aunt and eventually made her way to the U.S., where she became a doctor, married happily and, ironically, was the one her father and stepmother turned to in their old age. In recounting this painful tale, Yen Mah's unadorned prose is powerful, her insights keen and her portrait of her family devastating.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This dramatic autobiography by a writer and doctor begins with the reading of a will that mystifies, then flashes back to recount events in a truly unpleasant family of seven brothers and sisters, a cruel French-Chinese stepmother, and a rich, uncaring father. In 1937, Adeline's mother died giving birth to her in Tienjin, marking her forever as bad luck. The family moved to Shanghai, then Hong Kong, with trips to Monte Carlo, London, and, finally, California for Adeline. In the meantime, with World War II, the Communist takeover in 1949, Maoism, the Cultural Revolution, and the return of Hong Kong to mainland China. Mostly, however, rivalries, jealousies, injustice, neglect, conniving, backbiting, and betrayal dominate this family. An intriguing tale, though it says less about China than about one particular Chinese family; for contemporary China collections.?Kitty Chen Dean, Nassau Coll., Garden City,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Most helpful customer reviews
138 of 151 people found the following review helpful.
An Amazing Story!
By Roz Levine
In 1937, Adeline Yen Mah's mother died giving birth to her. Because of this, she was considered "bad luck", tormented by her siblings and shunned by her father. Her father soon remarried a beautiful, young Eurasian woman who was cruel and manipulative. She treated all five of her stepchildren badly, but saved her real hatred for Adeline. Falling Leaves is the powerful, riveting memoir of emotional abuse and isolation that Ms Yen Mah suffered at the hands of her stepmother. At this point, most would say, "Why would I want to torture myself by reading a book about child abuse?" The answer is simple...Adeline Yen Mah didn't just survive her childhood, she triumphed. With great wisdom and insight, she tells a story not just about her life, but the life of China, before and after the cultural revolution and how both were changed forever. Despite her miserable childhood, she excelled, became a doctor, married and found freedom and a new life in America. This is an amazing, compelling story, told by an amazing woman who was not only able to put the past behind her, but was able to celebrate life and move forward.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Lovely book. I learned a lot about the history ...
By Ellen Fox
Lovely book. I learned a lot about the history of China through the eyes of a compelling "main character."
52 of 58 people found the following review helpful.
The agonizing story of a dysfunctional Chinese family.
By E. Bukowsky
Adeline Yen Mah's "Falling Leaves" is a searingly honest memoir of her unhappy childhood in China. In addition, she provides a colorful and lively portrayal of the customs, history and social upheaval of her native country from the late 1800's until the 1970's. Adeline was the daughter of a prosperous businessman, Joseph Yen, who was happily married to a woman he adored. He had five children, the youngest of whom was Adeline. Tragically, Adeline's mother died shortly after she was born.
To compound the misery, Adeline's father soon married a woman so cruel that she fitted the stereotype of the wicked stepmother in Cinderella. Niang, as Jeanne Prosperi Yen was called by her stepchildren, was a control freak. She was a manipulative woman who verbally and physically abused the children who were out of favor with her. Adeline describes her efforts to grow up whole in spite of a loveless upbringing. She turned for solace most of all to her beloved Aunt Baba, who loved her unconditionally and was truly proud of her. Adeline took great delight in schoolwork, which brought her intellectual and emotional satisfaction.
Mah eloquently recounts harrowing experiences that left lasting scars. In addition, she vividly describes the sights and sounds of such cities as Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong. "Falling Leaves" is an intensely psychological and personal memoir in which Adeline Yeh Mah bares her soul and candidly conveys her difficult struggle to leave the past behind. The result is an unforgettable story of a courageous young woman who, in spite of the obstacles she faced, refused to give in to despair.
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