"At the Very Beginning of Life, I Escaped Death Twice."
As a second girl born to a family in China in the 1980's, my Life was mandated to be terminated, my illegal birth evidence of a crime, and my survival a statistical improbability.
To immigrate to the United States as a young girl
To have great fortune to pursue an Education
To have opportunity for a Career in Silicon Valley
To have a voice to write my Story now
These too, are great Statistical Improbabilities
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What's wrong with this picture?
Why are basic human rights a statistical improbability simply because I was born female?
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I wrote this book to spark purposeful dialogue and ignite action for positive change.
To illuminate real stories, real people who need Us to care.
Help me hold the torch.
Use Our Collective Power to extend our good fortune for All Others.
Let's beat the statistics.
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MOTHERS LEAD
A Memoir A Modern Woman A Mission
The Journey of a Girl to Motherhood
The Power of Women to Advance Evolution
The Mission to Empower Women Who Will In Turn Elevate All
This Powerful work reflects Universal Human Ideals that I have had the good fortune and privilege to live out since immigrating to the United States as a young girl.
Especially Advocacy for Civic Engagement, Education, Children's Welfare, Healthcare, and Social Services.
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MOTHERS LEAD
Showcases a spectrum of uniquely crafted writing styles and discussions on a breadth of Purposeful Subjects, interlaced with Humor and Intrigue.
Part 1 - Illustrates Human Dilemmas as narrated through events of my Life
Part 2 - Presents Proposals and Conclusions for a Just Course of Action
Prose-poetry invites introspection and paints beauty as you see it in your own mind.
If you have compassion, you will cry. If you have joy, you will laugh.
Your support is an essential launchpad on Our Shared Journey.
Sincerely,
Jenny Athena Wong
CRITICAL REVIEWS
I was enchanted by Jenny Athena Wong's first book.
Jenny's work lives in a space between poetry and prose. She's defined a style all her own, which adds to the intimacy of this very personal memoir.
It's a work of Art. As such, Everyone will take away something unique to them.
The story itself, unfolding through vignettes laced with observations and Calls to Action, crosses two Cultures and issues Challenges to both. It will be empowering to anyone who has felt excluded, threatened, or anxious.
Any reader will be glad that Jenny survived the threats to her Life and challenges to her Strength to share this with us.
There's also a lot to smile about. Jenny's keen awareness of the world around her leads to delightful observations. She notices the tickling sensation of a grasshopper's kicks when captured in hand.
She feels the World, invites Us to feel it with her, and to join her in making it a Better Place!
- Terry Joyce, San Francisco Toastmasters President
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Part memoir, part meditation, Mothers Lead is an evocative and moving prose-poem tracing Jenny Athena Wong's life-long battle against the strictures placed on females.
Starting with her brush with an early death as a second female child born to a family in China, we hear of the difficult road that brought Jenny to America, her decision as a San Francisco high school student to join ROTC against her family's wishes and, throughout, her fierce determination to excel on her own terms.
This book is a celebration, a paean to resolve, but also an outraged and highly personal cry against discrimination.
- Dan Rosenheim, KPIX (CBS) Vice President & News Director, KRON (NBC) News Director, SF Chronicle News Managing Editor
