Falling Leaves

The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Written By Adeline Yen Mah

“A Chinese proverb says that luo ye gui gen (falling leaves return to their roots). My roots were from a Shanghai family headed by my affluent father and his beautiful Eurasian wife, set against a background of treaty ports carved into foreign concessions, and the collision of East and West played out within and without my very own home.”

As this quote states, Adeline Yen Mah was from a family based in Shanghai during a time of great change in the East and West. In her memoir Falling Leaves, she describes how her father and stepmother, along with six siblings, a grandfather, and her Auntie Baba, treated her during such hard times as World War 2 and the Cultural Revolution. Devoid of parental love, Adeline turned to her Auntie Baba and literature as her way to feel loved. The book also describes her life during and after college, when she experienced failed relationships and a denial of any inheritance.

I highly enjoyed this book because it was both informational and entertaining. While describing her sad life, Adeline Yen Mah also describes what was happening in her native country of China at the time. For a foreigner, such as myself, the way she integrates history into her story helped me to understand the history of China, a country which is so rarely taught about in History classes even though it is the largest country population-wise. While still being informational, her story can be heart-wrenching at times. I was almost in tears when she described how her pet duckling was fatally injured when her father’s dog attacked it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who was interested in a true story about a so-called “Chinese Cinderella”. It is factual and interesting, perfect for anyone wanting to learn about China or experience a sentimental story of an unwanted daughter.

Thorndike Press, 1997, 437 pages

ISBN 0-7862-1914-9

Page created by E. Weaver

November 7, 2007

Back to Topic Index

Back to Memorial Home Page