Book Description

In 1994 an American writer named Emily Prager met her new daughter LuLu. All she knew about her was that the baby had been born in Wuhu, a city in southern China, and left near a police station in her first three days of life. Her birth mother had left a note with Lulu's western and lunar birth dates. In 1999 Emily and her daughter-now a happy, fearless four-year-old--returned to China to find out more. That journey and its discoveries unfold in this lovely, touching and sensitively observed book.

In Wuhu Diary," we follow Emily and LuLu through a country where children are doted on yet often summarily abandoned and where immense human friendliness can coexist with outbursts of state-orchestrated hostility-particularly after the U. S. accidentally bombs the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. We see Emily unearthing precious details of her child's past and LuLu coming to terms with who she is. The result is a book that will delight anyone interested in China, and that will move and instruct anyone who has ever adopted--or considered adopting--a child.

Amazon.com

From Publishers Weekly

Childless and in her 40s, novelist Prager (Roger Fishbite, etc.) realized that her generation has taken a terribly long time to "understand what children could bring us." Ironically (since she's a feminist), she took advantage of the sexism that has emerged in the execution of China's "one-child policy" and adopted an unwanted baby girl from Wuhu, a village in southern China. This is the journal of the return voyage Prager made with LuLu, her five-year-old daughter, in an effort to come to terms with the circumstances of her adoption and to reintroduce LuLu to her roots. Acknowledging that travel with young children often "opens different doors," she recounts her visits with LuLu to nursery schools, hospital waiting rooms and delightfully "un-p.c." amusement parks, instead of museums and national monuments. As LuLu becomes a "local," hanging out with the hotel's bellboys, chambermaids and musicians, Prager wanders the department stores and watches TV, in between futile efforts to find out more about LuLu's birthparents. In the end, it's the whole process they've gone through that lessens LuLu's adoption angst, rather than learning the circumstances of her adoption: "She came back from China... unencumbered by old doubts or anxieties, having reclaimed... some essential part of her self." Writing in a "daily diary" format, Prager keeps the pages turning. By the end, the unsent letter she wrote to the undiscovered birth parents, explaining all the ways she would love their child, may inspire a few tears. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept. 4)Forecast: If Prager is able to tap into the highly organized and active networks of adoptive parents of Chinese children, this book will be heartily embraced in hardcover and an evergreen paperback.

From Booklist

The one-child policy in Communist China has been a boon to Americans wishing to adopt a child. Because of the Chinese preference for boys, if the extra child is a girl, she is often put up for adoption. Novelist Prager's adopted girl was actually left in the street, so her background was very incomplete. Prager returned to China with LuLu, now four years old, to learn about the place where LuLu was born. What she found surprised her. The Chinese people she encountered showed a great deal of interest and kindness toward her and LuLu. Prager's frustration in most of her attempts to find out about LuLu's past seems minor compared with the understanding she gained from visiting the land of her child's birth.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Marlene Chamberlain

From Library Journal

This moving story of a single mother's two-month trip to Wuhu, China, in 2001 with her five-year-old adopted daughter, LuLu, combines memoir, travelog, and a bit of philosophy. A novelist (Roger Fishbite) and satirical columnist for the Village Voice, among other publications, Prager herself spent some of her childhood in LuLu's homeland. For anyone considering multicultural adoption or already involved in one, this compelling work offers encouragement and an example of how to help an adopted child get acquainted with her roots and build her sense of self. For others, it provides a wonderful view of a part of China seldom written about. Readers will also gain insight into the strengthening bonds between children and their adopted parents and the insecurities both feel. Following the trip, LuLu no longer exhibited frantic behavior. She seemed to have a better sense of herself and her heritage, which gave her more confidence, as well as a firmer comprehension of her adopted mother's commitment. Enthusiastically recommended.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kay Brodie, Chesapeake Coll., Wye Mills, MD

About Author

Emily Prager is the author of three novels, Clea & Zeus Divorce, Eve's Tattoo and the recently published Roger Fishbite, as well as the acclaimed book of short stories A Visit from the Footbinder, and a compendium of her humorous writings, In the Missionary Positions. She has been a satirical columnist for The Village Voice, The New York Observer, and The New York Times, as well as London's Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. She is a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library, and in 2000 she won the first Online Journalism Award for Commentary given by the Columbia University Graduate School of Jounalism. Her books have been published in England, France, Germany, Sweden, Lithuania, and Israel. She teaches humor writing at New York University, and lives in Greenwich Village.

Book Dimension :

length: (cm)20.2 　　　 　　　　　 　 width:(cm)13.5