Thorny Road to Dignity: Surviving Mao: A Chinese Psychiatrist Embraces a Miracle in America Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Dr. Zhong Liu has written an odyssey of his life's struggles and triumphs from China to the United States. Suffering indignities under the Mao regime, Dr. Liu relates a story of survival and determination in a China that was not always kind to him. Exiled to the countryside to live among the peasants, he seemed to make something positive come out of every hardship. Self-taught in many languages including English, an inspirational teacher, a caring husband and a goal setter beyond imagination, Dr. Liu relentlessly pursued what appears to be unachievable goals to the ordinary person.
Dr. Liu writes in an easy-to-understand narrative of his life in China and his subsequent cultural shock in coming to America.
What is most moving in this book is Dr. Liu's love of America; we "natural-borns" can take a lesson from this doctor who embraced our country with such devotion and gratitude.
An inspiring read.
Janet Parker, Medical Librarian, Ventura County Medical Center

Click Here to see more reviews about: Thorny Road to Dignity: Surviving Mao: A Chinese Psychiatrist Embraces a Miracle in America

Zhong Liu had a strong bond with American establishments, where he had all his education in China before the 1949 revolution. Liu paid the price for his ties and was ostracized into the countryside to embark on a career in farming labor and health services. Firmly believing his fate would change after the reign of Mao, he never ceased preparing for that day by learning foreign languages and researching new medical developments in the countryside. After Mao's death, he resumed his teaching job in a medical school, where he often served as the English interpreter for visiting American professors. Surprised by his fluency in English and current medical knowledge, they sponsored a visit to America for him, just as he had dreamed.It was then the unthinkable happened: Dr. Liu passed the medical license exam on the first try. After experiencing a host of cultural shocks and retraining, he settled in and proved himself to be a competent, board-certified psychiatrist and a successful bilingual writer.Dr. Liu credits his family, especially his wife, with the inspiration and strength to help him endure the hardest times, and it is to her that he dedicates the poem on this book's cover.