Memoir of Half a Banana

"Looking back on my life, I have had to adapt to my surroundings many times."

This is a good read for anyone inspired by perseverance. Chou was born in Taiwan, moved to the United States as a kid, returned to Taiwan in time to prepare for grueling exams, attended National Taiwan University, and returned to the United States for graduate school and beyond. The memoir's journey also spans the Chinese Civil War, Sino-Japanese War, and World War II, reflecting on how catastrophic events impacted one woman's life and family. Chou remembers, in vivid detail, the courtyard of her childhood. She remembers the traditional joy of making dumplings and the kindness of those who helped her learn English. Her story reminds readers of their shared humanity.

The author describes memories and impressions in a gentle, matter-of-fact tone that is comforting to read, an invitation to dream with a wise woman. For instance, she endearingly tells about her mother in a way that is never pretentious. Her stories offer generous detail, and there is a motivational nobility and steadfastness in her voice. Chou doesn't dwell on the struggles. Instead, she provides stories that teach keen observation and the use of a discerning mind.

This memoir shows readers a solid character who has a good financial head. She is organized in her principles about hard work and life's joys. She shares challenges without being consumed by setbacks. When Chou discusses working in Chinese restaurants, and all that taught her, the reader gains a sense of perseverance. When she describes enduring debilitating bouts with hay fever, one gains a sense of stoicism. Chou's story can help guide others who face financial and material hardships. Her curiosity and sense of humor can make readers feel contentment regardless of their cultural background.

- The US Review of Books

This exceedingly well-written and heartfelt memoir will appeal to many audiences. Its cosmopolitan widely inclusive sweep embraces the author’s years in Illinois, Los Angeles and in her native Taiwan, where she raised a family, was a successful businesswoman, and a very adept writer. Fay Chou, a star student of literature and highly skilled narrator, gets to flex her writerly gifts in this personal, family and cultural history that brings to life Chinese-American history here and abroad.

The book’s praises cannot be sung too highly! This memoir, which includes chilling accounts of the Sino-Japanese War, and more even-handed ones of Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, benefits from the author’s inherent graciousness and tendency to understand and somewhat forgive the trepidations of history. In her capable hands, the broad sweep of historical change is married to the rise and fall of individual lives. Readers interested in the emerging importance of China in the modern world will find this ring-side-seat absolutely fascinating. American readers who cannot trace their origin back to the Mayflower (that would include most of us!) will likewise find this memoir moving and informative. Books like this help us appreciate the ‘One from Column A, One from Column B’ mix of diversity that has made and continues to make this country great.

The anecdotes in Memoir of Half a Banana are plentiful and scrumptious. The writing is playful, humorous, and extremely inventive. Clearly, Ms. Chou, as an entrepreneur, mother, wife and gifted writer, has lived a very full life. Its breadth and compass are evident throughout. Sidelights on business conflicts, loyalty concerns, and even Buddhism make this book much more than a collection of anecdotes. We get to follow the progress of the author’s children Heather and Owen as they navigate the path of second-generation Chinese-American citizenry. Caring for her aging father and working for a Buddhist organization, Chou’s generosity and largesse of spirit are profoundly human.

Memoir of Half a Banana is a cohesive tapestry knit by a woman making ultimate sense of her origins, her life, and her work. Beyond that, the author’s spirit – an old soul, commenting wisely and serenely on a life lived well, a life lived modestly, and humbly – will be an inspiration to readers of all ages. Fay Chou’s abiding interest in the paranormal and in sources of spiritual and emotional energy are reflected in her passion for the discipline of Qigong.

Memoir of Half a Banana is a charming and exemplary memoir. It brings together the threads of at least two cultures – one 5000 years old, the other contemporary – and their impassioned and beautiful offspring.

- Pacific Book Review