Falling Leaves: The Memory of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

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.

Stichley's Rating:
I'm not real sure what made me pick up this book.  I've never bought a book before at an airport, but I was picking up a magazine that a friend of mine was appearing on the cover of when I saw this book.  I had a long flight a head of me and I decided on the spur of the moment to grab it.  For the first time since before I started college I read the entire book in under 24 hours.  This book was very touching and I personally found it difficult to put down.

Instances of Swearing:

• God, but used in the appropriate context