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发帖数: 3205 | 1 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meimei-fox/bend-not-break-memoir_
狐妹妹的反击！
Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds, the memoir I wrote with and about
Geomagic CEO Ping Fu, hit bookstores and e-readers on December 31, 2012. The
Western press had an overwhelmingly positive response to this remarkable
tale of Ping's journey from China to America, from nobody to somebody, and
from immigrant with almost no money or knowledge of English to executive at
the top of the American tech world. We received excellent reviews from the
Wall Street Journal, Newsweek/Daily Beast editor Tina Brown on NPR Morning
Edition, Sir Harold Evans of Reuters, Oprah.com, and many others. This week,
we earned a #24 spot on the extended New York Times list of hardcover
nonfiction best sellers.
Photo credit: Kiran Ramchandran
I am a huge fan of Ping Fu. During the year-plus that I worked by her side
to write Bend, Not Break, she consistently proved herself to be an
embodiment of the values she espouses in the book: compassion, generosity,
humility, optimism, courage, and strength. She is my hero. I sincerely hope
that others will benefit, as I have, from the authenticity, vulnerability,
and wisdom she shares in the pages of her memoir.
Photo credit: Arin Wiscomb
Unfortunately, in the last week, Ping Fu and I, our book, and even members
of my family have come under attack from a coordinated smear campaign. It
began when an influential Mainland Chinese blogger challenged a few
editorial errors in Western press coverage of the book, based mostly on
words lost in translation. These have since been corrected.
This past Friday, Ping published a Huffington Post blog responding to these
criticisms. She explained some of the misinterpretations and corrected
confusions about her story with love, compassion, and understanding. She
also posted a blog with her heartfelt emotional response to the attacks, in
which she expressed her understanding that everyone's life is different and
all experiences are valid. Nevertheless, over the course of the next few
days, literally thousands of comments slamming the book and denying Ping's
story were posted to Amazon, as well as on Barnes and Noble, every positive
review and news article about the book, Ping's Wikipedia page, and elsewhere
on the web.
The Daily Beast published an article on the smear campaign yesterday stating:
The Amazon attack bears elements of the type of Internet bullying -- known
by the ominous phrase 'human flesh search' -- that is increasingly common
among Chinese bloggers... While the human flesh search phenomenon has helped
expose injustice, it also has been trained on individuals to humiliate them
publicly or to punish those who do not align with a strongly nationalist
viewpoint. Indeed, recent hacking attacks on prominent American media
outlets seem to have been aimed at publications deemed critical of China's
leaders.
Ping and I believe that these irrational, angry, and personal attacks are
not constructive. We stand on positive ground, with the support of people
who know us and of reporters, reviewers, and bloggers who have actually read
the book. Appropriately, the situation calls to mind this quote from Bend,
Not Break -- words spoken to a young Ping Fu by her adoptive father.
Bamboo is flexible, bending with the wind but never breaking, capable of
adapting to any circumstance. It suggests resilience, meaning that we have
the ability to bounce back even from the most difficult times... Your
ability to thrive depends, in the end, on your attitude to your life
circumstances. Take everything in stride with grace, putting forth energy
when it is needed, yet always staying calm inwardly.
As grotesquely inappropriate attacks have come in questioning the
credentials of my sister-in-law, a China scholar who wrote a sincere review
of the book, and lashing out against me as a blogger and human being, I
remind myself to put into practice my spiritual work of the past decade --
being non-reactive, expansive, and generous in the face of adversity. The
response I strive to have to those attackers who, driven by fear, are
harnessing hatred and anger to tear down Ping Fu's inspirational story and
my hard work, is to send them compassion. "Fear less, love more," I keep
telling myself, reciting my personal mantra.
As executive coach Katia Verresen put it so eloquently in a supportive note
to me, "The more bloggers and others react, the more you can see the
powerful impact of your book. Bravo to you and Ping Fu. In the words of
Winston Churchill 'You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for
something in your life.'"
I know that standing for Ping Fu and our book, and even posting this blog,
will make me the target of further abuse. I stand up for them nevertheless,
and for the inspiration they offer. Bend, Not Break is a story of triumph
over adversity and the American dream. It can provide guidance and hope to
anyone who feels downtrodden, hopeless, and out of options; anyone
struggling as an immigrant, entrepreneur, or working mother; anyone who is
simply in need of a positive role model. This is why Ping wrote the book,
and this is why I wanted to help her share her life lessons -- with only
love in our hearts. |
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