Publication Information:

ISBN: 0767903579 (find her books at Amazon.com)

Suggested Module/Thematic Use:

Children’s Rights, Gender Roles, Religion and Spirituality.

Author Biography: Adeline Yen Mah was born in Tianjin, China. Her mother died two weeks after her birth and Adeline was considered to be a source of bad luck by her family. Her father remarried a beautiful Eurasian woman one year later who divided the Yen family into two different classes. At fourteen, she won a writing competition, which convinced her father to send her to study in England. She attended medical school, graduated as a physician, and established a thriving medical practice in California where she is married with two children. After the publication of Falling Leaves, Adeline gave up medicine to write full-time.

Summary: Falling Leaves chronicles the autobiographical life of Adeline Yen Mah in mainland China after the 1949 revolution. The continual emotional abuse from her wealthy father and his beautiful, cruel second wife created a world of subservience and emotionless for the young girl. Adeline does not gain a sense of confidence and esteem until she escapes to America, where she experienced a fulfilling medical career and a happy marriage.

Target Audience: Grades 9 - 12