Lucky Girl

If you are an adoptee, or a Chinese adoptee, then this book is probably a bit hard to understand or might be too much for you to handle.

I loved reading this story. It's a beautiful portrait of the most unusual family circumstances told in a straightforward style that includes humor, actual letters and e-mails, just enough history to give context and a raw eye toward detail that leaves you wanting more.The story is told in first-person by Mei-Ling, an award-winning journalist who was born to a large family in Taiwan, adopted by a Michigan couple and then reunited with her birth family many years later.Through this honest biography, I loved discovering Mei-Ling's family, from the good to the bad, along with her. The way she opens her life up with personal introspection and tough questions to her birth parents both surprised and enthralled me. It's an amazing story that is told with grace, wit and passion.I recommend this book without hesitation. It will open your eyes about adoption and might even push you to examine your own self identity.

Having worked in a Chinese orphanage for several years, I met many children who were later adopted. I have always wondered what it felt like for them to 'look' different than their parents or siblings. I wondered how they were treated at school or in other social settings, were they accepted or discriminated against? LUCKY GIRL gave me an inside look into the childhood and young adulthood of a girl adopted from Taiwan. Mei Ling Hopgood weaves an enlightening story that gave me moments of sadness but also spurts of laughter. So many of her experiences in learning about her culture were familiar to me and kept me turning the pages at a rapid pace. Great job, Mei Ling!Kay BrattChild Advocate

This was a book I could not put down. The first 100 pages or so laid the groundwork very well. After this, I found myself totally engrossed in the author's experience of merging her life in the United States with the life and past of her birth family. I kept sneaking little moments to keep reading. Definitely the sign of a good book! I love books that offer a lesson on a new place or cultural, which this book did. I found myself shocked, disappointed, amused, grateful and heartbroken right alongside the author as she recounts her experiences. While this book will certainly resonate with families who have experience with adoption, it is definitely NOT required to enjoy and appreciate this wonderful book. Adoption is not part of my personal experience and I loved the story!

An otherwise good book about the experience of finding your birth family was hurt by bringing upanti-Republican comments about George Bush. It had nothing to do with the rest of this non-fictionbook. I have seen anti-Republican comments brought up in other fiction books which broke upthe flow of the book. Does the publisher require the author to do this in order to be published?

Having grown up in the same city as the Hopgood's, knowing a bit of their story, and Rollie having been my younger brother's elementary school teacher, I wanted to skim through this book. I was pleasantly surprised, however, at the quality of the writing and found this book hard to put down. As an adoptive parent to a Chinese-American teenaged girl myself, I only wish my daughter could get to know Mei-Ling personally - what a wonderful role model she could be.

I am nearly done with the book. I've enjoyed reading about the Author's interesting experiences with her newfound birth family and her struggles to reconcile 2 worlds. Perhaps it's the e-version but I am surprised at the typos. Candid portrayal of what she sees and feels, including ambivalence towards birth dad, make this a compelling read!

While I couldn't put this down, I did get a bit irritated with the author and, what seemed to me as, herselfishness. But that said, I really enjoyed the book. If you're interested in modern day China, adoption or international adoption it is a worthwhile read.

A very interesting topic and it was very insightful into the world of adoption.A lovely tale of meeting her blood family and how it went