Following Mei-Ling Hopgood's highly satisfying read "How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm", I decided to learn about her personal journey through her memoir "Lucky Girl". "Lucky Girl" recounts Hopgood's discovery of her birth parents and family in Taiwan as a young adult, following a happy mid-western childhood raised by white American parents.
Unlike traditional birth parents discovery stories, Hoppgood does not glamorize her "reuinion" with her birth family. Not only does she face cultural barriers (i.e., language, customs and social differences), she must learn to adjust to the unique family dynamics. Over the years, family secrets slowly unravel including the existence of another sister who was born few years following Hopgood's birth and now lives with her adopted family in Switzerland, and her father's "second family" consisting of an illegitimate son and daughter. While she develops a bond with her birth sisters, the discovery of these secrets reinforces her revelation that she is indeed a "lucky girl" as she was saved from being raised by birth parents who did not appreciate the value of daughters and instead gained a second chance in life through her adopted parents unyeilding love.
Mei-Ling Hopgood ends her fascinating and honest memoir with her feelings about her seven month daughter. Unlike her birth parents, she not only values but treasures her daughter. As she recalls her daughter's birth, she can not fathom how anyone other than herself could take better care of her daughter. She is in awe of "how intimately the rhythms of mother and daughter are intertwined". As I await the impending birth of our daughter, even as I feel her move inside me, I too reflect upon how much she will be treasured and loved.
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