Born as an outcast

Author: Li Lan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: A child with severe brain dysfunction, an immigrant family from Shanghai, an unusual path to education, and an American experience from darkness to light! The meaning of life after tasting hardship is even deeper. Now, Xingxing and his family's new understanding of the American Dream is no longer about owning a big house or a new car, but pursuing a noble ideal—that is, to fill life with opportunities for choice, truly choosing what to do and what not to do, and gradually creating a life that truly belongs to them. Born Different is set against the backdrop of an immigrant family from Shanghai in the U.S. who go from having nothing to successfully starting a business, depicting the unusual path of a boy named Xingxing with severe brain dysfunction (Tourette Syndrome) in America: from mainstream school to special school, from special school to home schooling, and then back to mainstream school. From public school to private school, and then back to public school. The road to education is full of twists and turns. His parents, in the face of constant setbacks and mistakes, have refined their role as parents and have done everything possible to give their child a loving family in a foreign land. Hardship has made Xingxing strong. Growing up in constant struggle with his illness, Xingxing finally achieved victory. The World National Anthems he edited were published online and received rave reviews. The renowned U.S. reference and dictionary publisher, "Crow's Nest," published this 720-page World National Anthems encyclopedia. For over 50 years, Mr. Reid, a British man, has been the undisputed leader in this field. Yet, in his later years, he unexpectedly faced a challenge from an exceptionally young Chinese person. Xingxing broke Mr. Reid's half-century-long monopoly. Mr. Reid's book only included individual national anthem works, while Xingxing's encyclopedia provides each anthem with its native language, English, plus a brief introduction to the country, the life of the anthem's composer and lyricist, and the historical background, major historical events, and a five-line musical score for piano performance for each anthem. Xingxing began working on this monumental work at the age of 15 and completed it at 19. In September 2003, the book was released simultaneously in the U.S. and the U.K. and will be introduced into university libraries, public libraries, and school libraries worldwide.