When I searched Ping's book "Bend not break", a typo brought this book to me: Bent Not Broken by Lauren Roche. According to Amazon's brief description, the book is kind of similar to Ping's own story: terrible childhood (but in a "normal" country, not evil China), raped as a little girl (maybe just a "normal" rape, not gang-rape), jail (very likely a "normal" imprisonment, not by a Vietnamese), prostitution (just a "normal" prostitute, no marrying an American to get Green Card), getting very successful later in her life (but never advise to any presidents or kings). Overall, Lauren's story is far less inspiring than Ping's (because it is true?). I am just curious if Ping and Meimei have read this book and got inspired by it: we can do it much better than you, Lauren! Was this book the primary source of Ping's "imaginary memory"? I guess "until Amazon opens its archives and permits free access to the book, we won't know. Not for sure. Because even "experts" on Amazon are often wrong. The facts just aren't available." (In case you don't know what I am talking about, read DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW's "Ensnared in the Trap of Memory" by google it).

The book titles also tell a lot. Ping and Meimei used active forms: "bend" and "break". Lauren used passive forms: "bent" and "broken". Based on my limited understanding of English grammar, Lauren's passive title implied Lauren wanted to have a "straight" life, no "bending". But life or God or whoever made her "bend" anyway. Lauren worked hard to resist the involuntary "bending" and she succeeded in not being "broken". On the contrary, Ping and Meimei's active title implied they are pretty "straight" in life, but they wanted to "bend" it: actively and voluntarily. According to the title, they are also very careful not to "bend" too much to "break". But did they succeed?