About this title: In a true story of family ties, journalist Hopgood, one of the first wave of Asian adoptees to arrive in America, comes face to face with her past when her Chinese birth family suddenly requests a reunion after more than two decades.
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: 2009-04-28
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: New. This is a paperback with same cover and publisher stickers. This book is the same isbn, but is a paperback. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: 2009-04-28
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781565126008. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Edition: 1st edition
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Workman Pub Co
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781565126008ISBN:1565126009
Description: New. In a true story of family ties, journalist Hopgood, one of the first wave of Asian adoptees to arrive in America, comes face to face with her past when her Chinese birth family suddenly requests a reunion after more than two decades. read more
"I liked this book. It was well written, I liked the author (for the most part), and it was a nice change from the types of books I usually read. This was a memoir written by someone adopted from China and raised in the US. I guess I was especially interested in this read because of the place that I am in right now in my life. I have to admit that the book aroused many mixed emotions in me, but it also gave me new and helpful insights and understanding into the complexities of adoption in specific and families in general."
"As soon as Mei-Ling Hopgood recounts the hectic, excited first phone call she gets from her Chinese biological family, in the first chapters (really an extension of the prologue), my heart was won. In chapter 2 Hopgood beautifully imagines her parents' young lives in Kinmen Island in the Taiwan Straits, suffering Mao's constant real and propaganda-filled bombs. Hopgood also shares the letters to her adoptive parents from the young nun who kept her and worked for months to push her adoption through, a nice touch that both simplifies and enhances the narrative (and makes you happy for Hopgood's luck to have so many loving parental figures!). When she agrees to reunite with her Chinese family, Hopwood is entirely welcomed by them, though she always feels closer to her English-speaking sisters than to her biological parents. She also explores her development from disliking, to ignoring, to accepting, then embracing her Chinese identity.
Ultimately, though, the writing is uneven and fairly repetitive. The biographical and geographical descriptions are lovely, which makes sense given Hopgood's training as a journalist, but her memoir style is not as clean. Also, she so frequently promises to reveal the family's dark secrets that you start to wonder if she doesn't trust the story to be interesting enough on its own (it is, and the revelations, though troubling, aren't as dramatic or surprising as her relentless foreshadowing suggests)."
"Mei-Ling was born in Taiwan and at seven months old, she was adopted by a loving American couple, Rollie and Chris Hopgood. The Hopgoods also adopted two boys from Korea. The three children grew up as all-American kids and Mei-Ling was never really curious about her birth family or her life in Taiwan before her adoption.
One day, after Mei-Ling had finished college and was working as a journalist, her adopted mother called her and told her that Sister Maureen, the nun who had facilitated her adoption wanted to see her. Mei-Ling decided to meet with Sister Maureen and when it was suggested that Mei-Ling could probably find her birth parents, Mei-Ling declined. Several months later, Mei-Ling asked Sister Maureen to write to the hospital where she was born. This started communication and eventually visits between Mei-Ling and her birth family.
Mei-Ling Hopgood's memoir, Lucky Girl does give her background, but mostly focuses on her contact and relationship with her birth family after she was an adult. And, what a family it is! I don't want to give too much away, but her birth father is a domineering man with archaic ideas and her mother is a submissive woman. A lot of this is a result of their age and culture, but it was all quite a shock for Mei-Ling. Mei-Ling was thrilled to discover that she has seven sisters (only Mei-Ling and one other sister were given up for adoption, though). Mei-Ling struggles to understand her mother and the choices she made, but her meetings with her birth family only reinforces what she already knew - that she is a lucky girl.
I really enjoyed Lucky Girl - it's a beautiful tale of self-discovery without a hint of self-pity. Mei-Ling readily admits that there were times when she felt different when she was growing up because there weren't many Asians where she lived, but she's also quick to point out that the Hopgoods were wonderful parents who encouraged and loved her and helped her become the strong woman she is today. When she says, "Giving our children even a fraction of the love and generosity that my mom and dad shared is the best legacy that I can think of leaving," she is of course speaking of her adopted parents. After reading her book, I think she will leave a fine legacy."
"This well-written and sometimes painfully honest memoir was an excellent read that I highly recommend. I was touched by Mei-Ling's situation growing up as part of a blended family, trying to create an identity independent of her ehtnicity. When she is confronted with the opportunity to learn more about her birth family, I was impressed by her original attitude and yet concerned that it might all go terribly wrong. The story of that meeting and the relationship Mei-Ling eventually forges with her sisters is extraordinary given the language barriers and the sad tale of her actual adoption.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has adopted or been adopted from overseas, or anyone who is thinking about an international adoption. Though I have no personal experience with adoption, I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir and believe it has a wide appeal."
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