Adeline Yen Mah

Adeline Yen Mah (pbworks.com)

What is a hero? A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. That is the book definition of a hero but to me a hero is someone who overcame the worldly aspect of the world and tried to inspire others to do so also. A hero is someone who doesn’t dwell on the madness of life but tries to make it better for themselves and others. A hero doesn’t have to have powers like in the comic books, or be able to do extraordinary things. The hero just has to be there for themselves and others. Adeline Yen Mah is a true hero.

Adeline has done so much in her life. She wrote the amazing book Chinese Cinderella, which talks about her as a child growing up. Knowing the other person who loved her couldn’t be around. Also with her struggle to be the best so her father will love her again. She has written many books in her life. She won the International Writing Competition in Hong Kong at age fourteen. She was then allowed to live in London, England and study writing. She completed a medical degree, and established a medical practice in California. Now she just writes and gave up medicine. She did all this to please her father and herself.

Adeline was born November 30th. Even though that was not her real birthday that’s the one she knows, because her father couldn’t remember it so he gave her his. It was the year 1937. Japanese were demanding to see her father so he left them and went to Shanghai. It was during the Chinese war against the other nations. She had to be placed in nunneries and other places during her childhood. Her father was involved with some of the issues that were at hand. The many reasons she wasn’t allowed to have friends or be let outside is because her father was a wanted man. It was a tough time for the people in the Asian countries. After she grew up she married Robert A. Mah. They have two children and live in California and London.

Adeline is my hero because she never took the horrible times as if she couldn’t make things better. She cried at nights and longed for love. Yet with the life she lived she had every hope and dream to become someone and do something amazing. She has inspired me to want to do so much with my life. I want to do the same as her. She is the strongest woman I know besides my mother. She gave so much to those she loved, even though she really didn’t know the true meaning of love. Adeline is the person who you could rely on and she is my hero.