Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots : The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter

Falling Leaves Return to Their Roots : The True Story of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter
ISBN: 9780141047089
Publication Date: 13 December 2010

'I am still haunted by Mah's memoir . . . Riveting. A marvel of memory. Poignant proof of the human will to endure'
Amy Tan

Adeline Yen Mah's childhood in China during the civil war was a time of fear, isolation and humiliation. The cause of this was not political upheaval but systemic emotional and physical abuse by her step-mother and siblings, and rejection by her father. Falling Leaves is the story of a 'Fifth Younger Daughter' and her determination to survive the pain of a lonely childhood.

'Falling Leaves is a terrible and riveting family history . . . It is also a story about endurance and the cost it can exact . . . gripping'
Daily Telegraph

'An illuminating account of the destructive nature of family relationships set against a backdrop of China in change'
Mail on Sunday

'A light burns in this book that is never extinguished . . . [it is] an act, not a vengeance or bitterness, but of catharsis'
Sunday Telegraph

'The pain of so much emotional abuse leaps from every page . . . the most amazing aspect of this story is that Adeline managed to survive . . . and emerge triumphant . . . compelling' Daily Mail