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From Amazon
Ting-xing Ye made her mark with her sensational autobiography, A Leaf in the Bitter Wind, which chronicled her childhood and youth in the China of the Cultural Revolution. After escaping to Canada with the help of her future husband, author William Bell, and a scholarship from York University, Ye has established herself as a writer of children's books (like Weighing the Elephant) and young adult fiction, of which Throwaway Daughter, written with Bell, is her second effort. The plot of Throwaway Daughter hinges on the Chinese government's one-child policy and its social effects. Dong-mei (a.k.a. "Grace") is the adopted Chinese daughter of a family in suburban Ontario. Encouraged by her adopted family to get in touch with her roots, Dong-mei lights out alone for China, armed with the note she was carrying when she was found on the steps of Yangzhou orphanage. Throwaway Daughter tells its story simply and straightforwardly, sometimes sliding into a slightly preachy tone. That said, the characters in this totalitarian, Manichean universe are not entirely good or bad, as we see when Dong-mei finally meets her harsh, doctrinaire grandfather: He held my gaze, and for a second I could see the man who used to be called Old Revolutionary Chen.
"Dong-mei," he said again, looking me up and down as if he was memorizing my appearance. "I have been a fool." Then he turned and walked back into the house. With its story of Dong-mei's search for her history and her discovery of the treatment of girls under the one-child policy, Throwaway Daughter introduces young readers to important cross-cultural issues, hopefully providing a catalyst for further discussion. --Robyn Gillam
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