Book Description
Falling Leaves - 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.