BEND, NOT BREAK A Life in Two Worlds

Robin Miles’s narration is perfect for this absorbing memoir. The author was expelled from communist China as a teenager and navigated her way through the digital world of Silicon Valley to start a top 3D simulation company. Her gripping memoir swings between her often traumatic childhood experiences and the challenges of adapting to a Western, capitalist culture. It’s a compelling tapestry of dualities. Examples include child labor and reeducation camps in China as compared to the wide-open possibilities of the U.S. and the cultural divide between her intellectual birth parents and her nurturing peasant family. Every thread quietly affirms the author’s resilience, compassion, intelligence, and honor. Miles’s gravitas serves the author’s journey as subtle tonal shifts color this sweeping story of culture, character, and self-determination. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2013]