Inspiration From The Distant Past

Inspiration From The Distant Past
Found note in an old book... warms the cockles of my bookish heart...

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Chinese Cinderella

We read this for Reader's Cup last year, and it was not easy for my poor 11 year old. She cried some nights. For a sheltered, treasured modern girl it is hard to understand how another child could be treated so badly. I read ahead and it did end in a note of hope, but it seemed a long way away at the pace of one chapter per night. I don't actually recommend it as a bed-time read. My girls like something happier before they fall asleep.

Adeline Yen Mah immigrated to America after a difficult childhood. This book is not so much an American memoir as a Chinese one. It brings a very interesting period of Chinese history to life, and is one of those hard-work-triumphs-over-adversity stories that can be so inspiring.


http://readerscup.cbca.org.au/Documents/Readers%20Cup%20Flyer_2009%20%5Bd2%5D.pdf
http://www.adelineyenmah.com/

5 comments:

  1. I read this too. Obviously it broe my heart. My daughter Jia-Li (beautiful & Smart) in English, did not come to us until she was 3 years old, she had open heart surgery, a tethered cord and no hip bone. She was adandoned at 1 yr in a train station and lived with a very poor family. The pictures I have would break your heart.

    Because of Jia, I read everything Chinese I can get my hands on. A better book for an 11 year old "Grace From China" can't remember the author.

    It was nice to hear from you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Please excuse my spelling and grammar. I am listening to my Ipod, watching the Olympics and blogging. Not a great combo!

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are so blessed to have Jia-Li! And she you.

    We know lots of adoptive families. One couple we know adopted their children from Ethiopia. They were written up in a local mag and I gave the article to my 11 yr old to read. She suddenly stopped reading and asked, shocked, "They're adopted?" I had to point out the obvious, "Well, people usually give birth to kids about the same colour as themselves." She said, "Yeah, but their dad is dark!" He's a tanned European, and I thought it was so sweet that she had taken this family at 'face value'.

    ReplyDelete
  4. and don't worry about the multi-tasking. Do it all the time.

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  5. I'll have to add this one to my wish list, though I also admit having to switch up my readings. When the tears start falling heavier than I can bear, I pull out the humor books or that true nonfiction on subjects like petunias, or something on the habits of birds and bees;-)

    ...and oooh, so that's the other Lesa:-D - Hello...

    ReplyDelete

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