Week 4 – Falling Leaves, by Adeline Yen Mah

Week 4 – "Falling Leaves - The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter", by Adeline Yen Mah - 02.09.2013

Falling Leaves, by Adeline Yen Mah is a heart wrenching story about this lady’s life, and how she was treated by her own family… It is amazing to read about how some people could be so cruel and cold right up to the very last minute and even after that…

I found myself very frustrated at times when Reading about certain decisions the protagonist made throughout her life, and Reading in disbelief. But it was a humbling read notheless. We are always so quick to judge the decisions of others and blindly dogmatic about “how” we would not have done that in that way etc… I was shocked at myself to realize I’m also part of this category as I read through the story, and I strive not to be…*sighs*

 The main lesson I took away from it is that one can not presume to “know” what they would in fact do, if received the life and upringing the author received and if faced with these scenarios and experienced them first hand, for if one had, then everything they are now and today would have been shaped in another light and a completely diferent way, so it is impossible to say what we would do or not.
Adeline Yen Mah is a very brave and stong person.

Adeline Yen Mah – Chinese writer

Some Quotes from the Book:

“Please believe that one single positive dream is more important than a thousand negative realities.”

 “I read because I have to. It drives everything else from my mind. It lets me escape to find other world.”  

“But you can vanquish the demons only when you yourself are convinced of your own worth.”  

“Transcend your abuse and transform it into a source of courage, creativity and compassion.”  

“Don't trust anyone. Be a cold fish. I hurt no one. And no one can hurt me.”  

“You may be right in believing that if you study hard, one day you might become fluent in English. But you will still look Chinese, and when people meet you, they’ll see a Chinese girl no matter how well you speak English. You’ll always be expected to know Chinese, and if you don’t, I’m afraid they will not respect you as much.”  

“Never get involved. That's my motto. I hurt no one. And no one can hurt me.”  

“Suen Le!" (Let it be)

 “At the age of three my grand aunt proclaimed her independence by categorically refusing to have her feet bound, resolutely tearing off the bandages as fast as they were applied.”  

“She was bedridden falling a fall which broke her hip. X-rays showed that she had cancer of the colon which had already spreed. To my surprise I found her cheerful and free of pain, perhaps because of the small doses of morphine she was being given. She was surrounded by neighbours and friends who congregated at her bedside day and night. In this cosy, noisy, gregarious world of the "all-chinese" sickbed, so different from the stark, sterile solitude of the American hospital room, her life had assumed the astounding quality of a continuous farewell party.”  

“You have your whole life ahead of you. Be smart. Study hard and be independent. I'm afraid the chances of your getting a dowry are slim. You must rely on yourself. No matter what else people may steal from you, they will never be able to take away your knowledge. The world is changing. You must make your own life outside this home.”  

“The way I see it, the nineteenth century was a British century. The twenthieth century is an American century. I predict that the twenty-first century will be a Chinese century. The pendulum of history will swing from the ying ashes brought by the Cultural Revolution to the yang pheonix arising from its wreckage.”

 “I often think of life as a deposit of time. We are each allocated so many years, just like a fixed sum in a bank. When twenty-four hours have passed I have spent one more day. I read in the People's Daily that the average life expectancy for a Chinese woman is seventy-two. I am already seventy-four years old. I spent all my deposits two years ago and am on bonus time. Every day is already a gift. What is there to complain of?”

“That’s exactly what I’ll do, I thought to myself. After dinner, I’m going to ask Big Brother to teach me how to read this map. With Aunt Baba still in Tianjin, there’s obviously nobody looking out for me. I’ll just have to find my own way.”