Explore the world of Fawzia Mai Tung, a writer.
My memoirs
Life of a Rooster
Why should you read about my life?
Extracts
“Look! I have the King of Jordan’s autograph from when he was 13 years old! He even misspelled his own name in Arabic!”
... I had turned into a bad-tempered brat, with a volatile temperament, and given to flights of rage. Mama had stopped using her hand but omitted to replace it with something else.
Chinese adults equate love and care with scolding and rebuking, or, at best, advice. The more they scold you, the more they love you.
I dreamed of a beautiful life in a different body, in a different family, in a different world. I cannot remember what race I was, what size family I had or what age I was. I only remember that I was much older and very much happier. And suddenly in the middle of this happiness, I remembered, and turned and told the people around me, “Oh, guess what, I dreamed that I was a little Chinese girl living in France, and that everyone was making fun of my eyes and nose…”
I felt all of a sudden that we had been abandoned by the world. They did not recognize our existence on earth anymore. Our country had been kicked into outer space to float forever, as ignored and marginalized and I had been in every single school I had attended in France and Saudi Arabia.
I turned 20 and said goodbye to my family. This was the second time I was leaving the nest, but it was my choice this time.
Rootless Orchid
Born in Taiwan in 1957, I grew up across the globe, attending 13 schools in five countries and four languages before entering university. Looking for my roots, yet thriving despite losing them, I grew up like a rootless orchid, blowing in the wind.
Mirror in the Sand
Amman, Jordan in the 1970s and early 1980s was mushrooming from a laid-back sleepy city into a modern metropolis. In my eleven years in the City of the Seven Hills, I too evolved from a high-schooler to a journalist and a psychiatrist, mesmerized by its rose gold dust at sundown, its archaeological treasures littering the landscape, the generous hospitality of its people, yet also some of its harsher cultural baggage: male chauvinism, honor killings, and attitude toward psychiatric patients.
What readers are saying
... a rare insight into the country of Jordan, especially from the eyes of a Chinese Muslim woman
a story that is relatable and also fantastic about Jordan
a captivating and thought-provoking memoir... What a gripping coming-of-age report
... the author herself is a generally entertaining storyteller. Interspersed throughout the book were her senses of indignation, fierce energy, and genuine empathy with some of her patients.
Her unique life journey, vibrant experiences, and thoughtful insights are beautifully woven throughout the pages, making this book rich with stories and meaning.
Intriguing storytelling is a hallmark of this intimate look at life in the Kingdom of Jordan in the 1970s.