Genealogy Books - Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: A memorable story that haunts you long after reading.
Comment: This book was beautifully written and gripping from the start. The reviewer who complained of
Adeline's "whining" tone, is being unfair. I don't see her as whiny, but rather somewhat detached
as she recounts the emptiness of her childhood. In fact, I want her to scream and kick and rebell,
maybe even whine, yet she does none of that. Whining is even more emotion than I think she allows
herself to feel. She endured a childhood with certain material wealth but vastly lacking in
emotional wealth.
Adeline takes the emotional abuse because she knows nothing else. Her
father is the true villain for caring more about his trophy wife than his own family's happiness.
He is oblivious to his children's emotional needs. He disappoints more than the stepmom for
choosing to abandon children that he chose to bring into the world. He manipulates and plays them
one against the other for his own selfish desires.
After long periods of thinking about this
book, I've come to my own understanding of why she managed to salvage a happy life out of such a
miserable upbringing. It is the very belief, albeit blatently false, that her family would one day
accept her, that makes her continue to push for their love and not give up. Children are frequently
unable to find fault with their loved ones. It is that very "innocence" that protected her from
worse harm, the knowledge that acceptance would never, ever, be forthcoming.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Falling Leaves- FANTASTIC read!
Comment: The heartbreaking story of an unwanted, abused, neglected child who never ceases to try and earn her
family's affections. If you have ever experienced these feelings,no matter what your race, you will
LOVE this book. It moved me to tears and I could not put it down once I started reading it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Would you like some cheese....
Comment: ...with that whine? Self serving, whiney, horrible. I just don't get it. No comparison to
anything by Frank McCort, Amy Tan or anyone like them.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Doing the right thing is priceless
Comment: Adeline Yen Mah, the youngest daughter of a prominent chinese businessman and his young
half-chinese, half-french new wife, shows a poignant and vivid picture of life as a most unwanted
Chinese daughter growing up during the cultural revolution in mid- 20th century China. Despite
horrible mistreatment and abuse by her step-mother, Yen Mah slowly flourished from a sad, quiet girl
to a successful physician living in the United States because of the love and encourgement of one
unempowered Aunt. A heartwrenching read, this autobiography is proof that even when 'bad things
happen to good people', knowing one has done the 'right thing' is priceless indeed.

Customer Rating:

Summary: good and sad
Comment: this book is well written, and didn't take me too long to get through. mah retells her fascinating
story, and includes descriptions of the events in China at that time (the Communist take-over). it
is a sad story of family relations gone bad as she tries desperately for her family to come
together.

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