Chinese Cinderella By Adeline Yen Mah

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be unwanted, unloved and considered bad luck? In the Autobiography Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah, you can get a good understanding about how it would feel. This book contains stories of abuse, abandonment and, importantly, love from her Aunt and her Grandfather. As examples when Adeline’s father used her pet duck for a training test for his dog (pg.82), during a communist invasion her Father and Stepmother Niang tried to leave her in a boarding school in communist territory (pg.123), lastly when she had her last meal with her grand father before his death (pg. 179).
Shortly after Father and Niang returned from Tianjin, Father’s friends Mr. and Mrs. Huang came for a visit. They brought
Joseph’s Boarding School. When she first arrived she did not know where she was, then she remembered that she studied there as a young child. Adeline also remembered that the women she was talking to where her teachers as a young girl. Niang signed the enrolment paperwork while a Nun carried Adeline’s bag and guided her to her room. when Adeline was unpacking she noticed the rows of vacant beds “Each one bare and sorrowful just like me”. Adeline eventually fell asleep and was awakened by voices outside her curtain. Adeline opened it to find a girl about her age sitting on the bed next to hers talking to an older woman. When She saw Adeline she introduced herself as Nancy Chen, pointing to the older woman she said “this is my mom”. “I can hardly believe this, aren't you afraid?” the mother said. Adeline replied giggling, “No why would I be”. Adeline was then informed about the communist invasion and how she would be taken prisoner and prosecuted with all the nuns. When Mrs. Chen heard this she was astonished that her parents would leave her here in a foreign convent school with communists closing in. Adeline was very embarrassed that she was placed in the beginners class because of her poor ability to speak English. Nancy Chen left in mid November of 1948, with her mother. Soon Adeline was the only student at her school. Every day was the same for Adeline, walk through the halls watching nuns walk around
this annihilated the theory that Adeline was an orphan and that she had a father that was handsome and well dressed. To Adelines surprise she was not being sent straight back to school, but being sent home for a week to recuperate. Adelines Family had moved again and she did not recognize the new house. When she knocked on the door Third Brother answered. The house seemed dormant and still. Adeline asked “where’s Ye Ye”. “He’s eating lunch” Third brother replied. Adeline found Ye Ye sitting alone in the dining room and they sat down to join him. Ye Ye was very excited to talk to Adline because he hadn’t seen her in a very long time. During the Duration of the conversation Ye Ye was complaining that his food had no flavor because the doctors had him on a strict diet. After a while Ye Ye couldn’t take it anymore and served himself a generous helping of ribs and said “what is the point of hanging on if I can’t even enjoy my meals”. Adeline noticed that Ye Ye was giving up on life. He complained that his body was shutting down. Third Brother asked Adeline what her plans for the future where and she said “I don’t know, I don’t have London to look forward to. After that week, Adeline went back to school. She saw an advertisement for a play writing competition and she entered. Adeline titled her play Gone With the Locusts and dedicated