Pat D. (pat0814) reviewed on + 379 more book reviews
This was an interesting memoir from a Chinese girl who was adopted as a baby by an American family. The title is especially apt after meeting her birth family. She was the sixth daughter of a submissive woman and a man whose sole goal in life was to produce a son, whether by an adulterous relationship or through adoption. There were two daughters born after Mei-Ling, one of whom was adopted by a Swiss couple. Unbelivably, Mei-Ling's mother agreeed to the adoption of two of her daughters after her husband and mother-in-law made the decision. Mei-Ling enjoyed a normal childhood and adolescence with her adoptive parents and two brothers adopted from Korea. When she returned to meet her birth family, she is greeted enthusiastically by many relatives and comes to understand how diffierent her life would have been with them. I was disappointed that Mei-Ling didn't describe her husband and their relationship, since the present and future of that relationship seem much more important than the past with people she didn't know.
