Lu Chi Fa with Becky White,
Double Luck: Memories of a Chinese Orphan.
Holiday House, 2001.

In spite of the fact that Lu Chi Fa has not acquired national or international fame, his story reminds us of the cruel and abusive treatment that is often inflicted upon the defenseless and vulnerable. Having lost both of his parents when he was three, Lu Chi Fa was bounced between relatives and was even sold to a childless couple. He suffered hunger, beatings and emotional abuse from the people closest to him, his own blood relatives. Amidst his adversities, he kept alive the belief that he was lucky and that some day, everything would turn out fine. It was quite a miracle that he was able to survive at all.

As a reader, I had difficulties accepting the endless misfortunes Lu Chi Fa endured, especially for someone so young. I had to remind myself that my own sister, who grew up during the same period as Lu Chi Fa, was excluded from meals while our grandmother and aunt feasted, using the money our father sent home. My mother and my sister had lived through the horrors and atrocities of the Japanese invasion, the civil war, and the Communist regime. Both attest to the harsh treatment of many innocent people. Based on my own family's experience, I am convinced that Lu Chi Fa's sufferings were common occurrences.

This story evokes sympathy, but its straightforward approach lacks fluidity and the element of suspense. This book can serve as a reference for readers interested in the turmoil and hardships many Chinese people suffered. For the people who lived through those tragic times, this book might strike a familiar chord or it might bring back unpleasant and long forgotten traumas. We can appreciate and honor our elders for their courage, perseverance and daily heroics, which have brought them through the ugliness of war.

Lily Woo