Just getting away from my stepmother was enough. For the first time I could be judged for what I am rather than an appendage. The result was Falling Leaves, a heartfelt account of her oppressive family life that became an unexpected bestseller. One Australian fan wrote that she was one of the prophets of our time. And hoping that someone would come and fulfil that need.
Nobody knows where to look for it, so they look in the books they read.
A book is not just a bunch of paper. It's somebody's mind you're looking into - and he's talking to you. This time, she has written a book of potted philosophy that examines in turn various aspects of Chinese culture - Taoism, the Confucian social code, the particularities of the language, the spiritual importance of food and linked concepts of energy and healing that underlie Chinese notions of health. And she describes them in the fact-driven way that Westerners understand. Mingled with the discussions are more of Yen Mah's childhood memories, some of them surprisingly tender.