I planned to post the winners of my giveaways this morning, but ended up dragging my sick daughter all over town. She's got some kind of virus that's giving her nasty cold sores on her lips, inflamed gums and a general feeling of ickiness. Poor kid. Now I've got 6 different kinds of meds to give her. She's been moaning, "Why did I have to get sick? Why me?" all day. It's sad.
1 copy of Matrimony by Joshua Henkin goes to ... Linda! (P.S. Linda is giving away three copies of Drood by Dan Simmons on her blog - enter here) - *Correction: Linda is not the one giving away Drood - Carey is. I mistakenly identified Linda as the author of a blog she follows. Sorry about that! Linda, please email me; the rest of you, go on over and enter CAREY's giveaway (the above link is correct).

1 copy of Freshman for President by Ally Condie goes to ... Stacie!
Congratulations, ladies. Please email your snail mail address to blogginboutbooks@gmail.com so I can forward your info to Ally and Josh. Thanks to the two of them for offering their books for these giveaways.
If you didn't win this time, never fear! More giveaways are coming. In fact, check back tomorrow to learn about my newest contest. You won't want to miss it, trust me.

Every year, thousands of babies leave Asia for foreign lands, boarding planes that will jet them off to new countries, new lives, new futures. Chances of the babies ever re-connecting with their birth families are slim to none, a big plus for many adoptive couples. Considering this, Mei-Ling Hopgood's story really is pretty amazing. It's also funny, poignant and compulsively readable.

Hopgood, an American journalist who was adopted from Taiwan as a baby, talks about her reunion with her birth family in her memoir Lucky Girl. Raised in Michigan by her loving adoptive parents, Hopgood lived a happy, secure American life. She thought little about her Taiwanese culture or the family who had placed her for adoption. Mei-Ling knew enough - she was born to poor farmers who could barely support the 6 children they already had - to appreciate the good fortune that brought her to middle-class America. She was, indeed, a lucky girl.

As she grew up, Mei-Ling faced the kind of identity crisis common to transracial adoptees; by the time she graduated from college, however, she simply viewed her Asian roots with "distance and ambivalence" (119). Little did she know that her past was about to come a whole lot closer, demading anything but ambivalence. A recent college graduate, Hopgood was living in Detroit when she got the phone call that would change her life. On the other end of the line, Chris Hopgood, Mei-Ling's adoptive mother, mentioned that Sister Maureen - the nun who had cared for Mei-Ling after her birthparents placed her in an orphanage - was in town. Chris encouraged her daughter to call their old friend, which she did. An invitation to dinner and an off-hand remark about finding her birthparents later, Mei-Ling realized she had opened Pandora's box. Suddenly, Taiwanese relatives were phoning at all hours of the day, pelting her with questions and requests. The family that abandoned her in an orphanage two decades ago now couldn't leave her alone.

In spite of herself, Mei-Ling wanted to meet her birth family. March of 1997 found her embarking on her first trip to Taiwan, a journey that would take her into the heart of a loud, complex family that was, intriguingly, her own. She formed instant bonds with her 5 Taiwanese sisters, who encouraged her to locate another sister who had been adopted by a Swiss couple. Mei-Ling found the sisters engaging with their uproarious, unfiltered personalities. Her birthparents (whom she calls Ma and Ba) were another matter - Ba dominated every gathering with his cantankerous, controlling attitude and Ma let him, much as she had throughout their entire marriage. Language and culture obstructed effective communication, and Mei-Ling struggled to feel close to these parents she never knew. To add to the confusion, she felt a disturbing undercurrent in the family, as if behind their boisterous facade they hid deep, dark secrets. The more Mei-Ling probed, the more she discovered. In the end, she had to decide what to do with this new family and the Asian roots that ran a lot deeper than she'd ever been willing to admit.

Like most stories about transracial adoption, this one touches on themes of identity, culture, and family lost and found. The difference is tone - Lucky Girl is upbeat, funny and only a little bitter. While it pays homage to Mei-Ling's close-knit American family, it doesn't discount her Taiwanese relatives, who, despite the horrors of their past, make the effort to reunite their fractured family. Filled with colorful anecdotes and astute observations on transracial adoption, the book makes for an entertaining, but thought-provoking read. The writing could have been tighter, but, all in all, I enjoyed this one.

Grade: B

(Note: Lucky Girl will not be available until April 28, although it can be pre-ordered at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. It will also be featured in the June issue of Elle magazine, probably with comments by yours truly.)

So, I made the mistake of taking an afternoon nap and drinking 2 bottles of Mt. Dew today (I'm back in the Weight Watchers as of tomorrow), so I'm wide awake at 1 in the morning. Aw well, it's nice and quiet - the perfect time to update the ole blog. I just have a few things this morning:

- First off, I'm sure you've noticed that I have 2 great giveaways going on right now. I'm excited to be offering Matrimony by Joshua Henkin and Freshman for President, a YA novel by Ally Condie. They are two vastly different books - you can read my reviews to find out what I thought of them. Both of the contests end on the 28th, so if you haven't entered, do it now. I did fail to mention that since both books are coming directly from the authors, only those with U.S. or Canadian addresses may enter. If you live outside the U.S., buck up - I have more giveaways coming up for which you will be elgible. Yay!

- I decided to institute a new feature called "Mormon Mentions." Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are often mentioned in books and movies, sometimes in good ways, sometimes in not so good ways. This will be my chance to comment on what is being written - hopefully, I can debunk myths as well as laugh at my own "peculiar people."

- Motherhood and church obligations have left me crazy-busy, so I haven't been trolling book blogs like I usually do. I'm woefully behind on all of your news and recommendations. I did want to mention this contest, however, because the book looks fun: Anne Bradshaw is giving away a copy of Lemon Tart by Josi S. Kilpack. Although Kilpack is LDS, I don't believe this book has anything to do with the church. I've never read her, but I've heard good things.

- Like I mentioned, lots of good things (think: giveaways!) are coming. My reading has slowed a bit, but I'm still at it. So, keep checking back for more reviews, author interviews and such. In the meantime - Happy Reading!

One of the main reasons I decided to start this feature is because of this line from Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult:

"He'd been a corn-fed Utah boy, pitching subscriptions to benefit The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" (145).

Now, I love Jodi Picoult - she writes intelligent, thought-provoking books (of which a new one is coming out on March 3 - yay!), but I can't imagine where she got the notion that LDS boys hit the streets selling magazine subscriptions to benefit the church. I have never heard of anyone doing this in my life. I don't pretend to know all the ins and outs of the church's finances, but I can pretty much guarantee that it doesn't rely on magazine subscriptions to fund its doings.

Probably the thing we Mormons are best known for (besides polygamy, which hasn't been practiced in 100 years, for Heaven's sake) is good, clean living. I love that we're known as "designated good influence[s]."

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