Lucky Girl: A Memoir (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Mei-Ling Hopgood "writes with humor and grace about her efforts to understand how biology, chance, choice and love intersect to delineate a life. A wise, moving meditation on the meaning of family, identity and fate." –Kirkus

(Kirkus Reviews )

”A journalist by trade, Hopgood pushes herself to ask tough questions. As she does, shocking family secrets begin to spill forth. . . Brutally honest. . . Although Hopgood’s memoir is uniquely her own, multiple perspectives on adoption saturate the book.” –Bust magazine

(Bust )

“An award-winning writer recounts her experience as one of the first Chinese babies adopted in the West and her surprising trail back to the rural Taiwanese family who gave her away. . . A great book.”—Good Housekeeping

(Good Housekeeping )

“With concise, truth-seeking deftness of a seasoned journalist, Mei-Ling delves into the political, cultural and financial reasoning behind her Chinese birth parents' decision to put her up for adoption. . . Cut with historical detail and touching accounts of Mei-Ling's "real" family, the Hopgoods, Lucky Girl is a refreshingly upbeat take on dealing with the pressures and expectations of family, while remaining true to oneself. Simple, to the point and uncluttered of the everyday minutiae, Mei-Ling Hopgood nails the concept of becoming one's own.”—Detroit Metro Times

(Detroit Metro Times )

Review

"A compelling, honest, and very human tale about self-identity and the complex concept of family." —Kathleen Flinn, author of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1 edition (April 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565126009
• ISBN-13: 978-1565126008
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,524 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A warm and entertaining story of family~, January 3, 2009

By	Kathleen Wagner "~have book~will read~" (SWPA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reading books about ordinary people who have something extraordinary in their lives is one of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon. Mei-Ling is an ordinary, happy American girl who grew up in a small family with loving parents. She is intelligent, successful, and well loved by friends and family.

The twist though is that the family is much larger than one might first think. She is one of the many girls adopted from China, and brought to America by a couple who wanted a baby. In fact, this couple also adopted two boys, also from Asia to complete their little circle.

Mei-Ling is different from many of the girls who were adopted in that she had a link to connect her with her birth family, if she chose to do so. She learned of Sister Maureen early on, when she was told the story of how she came to be adopted . When in her twenties, the nun who was almost a storybook like figure to her once again got in touch with the family to let them know that her birth family was interested in meeting, if she would like to do that.

What followed was the story of two families coming together, and bonding. Sometimes it was painful, other times loving, and there were times it was hilarious. There were brothers and sisters and a gentle birth mother. Her birth father was something of a conundrum.

This is a wonderful book, about good people, families and love. I recommend it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great story in the hands of a good writer, April 23, 2009

By	Joe Grimm - See all my reviews

I devoured this book. It is the kind you can read in one sitting but shouldn't because you don't want to be done with it so soon.

Mei-Ling Hopgood does an excellent job reconstructing and telling the stories of both of her families. There is tremendous character development as she answers some mysteries, uncovers new ones and eventually finds the answers to those, too.

This book is in a class with The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food and China Dolls: A Novel.

Hopgood's book rides from a breathless rush into discovery to heartbreak to the sweetness of sisterhood.

This is a good choice for anyone whose life is intertwined with adoption or multicultural familes -- or anyone who wants to learn about these subjects.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Read Page Turner, April 21, 2009

By	A. Salas (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

I was fortunate enough to come across Lucky Girl by chance and what a happy discovery it was! Hopgood's writing style flows beautifully and avoids the trap of sap even though the subject is worthy of it. Her ability to reel us into her personal story is done effortlessly but with great impact. I found myself totally engaged in her life. Following her through her post college years as a successful journalist, joining her on her wedding day bliss, really feeling the love and warmth that she shared with her adoptive parents, crying when her father passed away unexpectedly, and then joining her on her journey to meet her birth parents. All this storytelling is done with humor, investigative wit, sincerity and self examination. It really is an epic tale that weaves together so many lives, emotions and discoveries. Well done!