By William Gross
At her book reading, Jing Su relates a conversation that she had with her brother many years ago: they pondered what they would do if they took a year to do anything that they wanted. Jing Su’s brother discussed travelling, and she wanted to write a book. Su’s battle with cancer is the motivation that she needed to pursue her long time passion.
While required to take time off from work as a teacher, Su picked up her computer and began writing. She explains that she wanted to leave something for her two daughters. The result is Mei, an inspiring 900-page autobiography of Su’s life from her childhood in China to her life in Thunder Bay. Su wrote her autobiography in third person and explains that since some of the book is written from recollections, memories, and stories from very early in her life, she pondered the accuracy of some of the memories. Therefore, Su chose to portray herself as a character in the book—Mei.
At her book reading, Su relates stories about her childhood in Beijing to her first shocking experience in a Finnish sauna in Thunder Bay. Stories range from poignant to hilarious, and Su writes directly from her heart. She explains that the friends that edited her book chose to leave grammatical errors because “that just how Jing speaks.”
Her story reminds us that however mundane and scary we may think our life is, we need to embrace every step of the journey. We all have a story to tell, and it’s never too late to tell it.
Jing Su’s book Mei can be purchased by contacting: taichi@tbaytel.net.
