Chapters 1 and 2 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 1: Top of the Class

August 1941

The four-year-old Adeline Yen-Mah proudly displayed to Aunt Baba the gold medal she received from Mother Agnes for being the best student of the week. Aunt Baba was proud of her but could not read the certificatebecause it wasn't written in Chinese. Aunt Baba saved the certificate in a locked box that contained her expensive jewelry—it meant a lot to her. An old photo dropped to the floor of a young Chinese couple. Adeline asked if it was a picture of her mother. Aunt Baba quickly changed the subject but Adeline persisted, wanting to know more about her mother—did she look like her.

Aunt Baba told the young girl that her mother died of a high fever when Adeline was just two weeks old. Adeline recalled how her big...