Jade Snow's challenges arrive early in life, as she is forced to deal with the ruthless regime of her father--a strict disciplinarian who believes wholeheartedly in "filial piety" and who whips his children with switches from a rice barrel if he believes they are out of line. Aside from the regular physical abuse that she endures at the hands of her father, Jade is also subject to his outdated beliefs about the role of women in a Chinese household. At the tender age of seven years-old, Jade is informed that she will not be attending college, since all of the family's economic resources will be funneled into paying for the "more important" needs of her older brothers. As Jade grows up, she begins to question this concept, asking, "Don't the Chinese admit that women also have feelings and minds?" Although she is pressured to do well in school, Jade is never rewarded for her hard work and diligence. Her intellect is largely ignored by her parents.
Jade manages to earn a sizable scholarship to Mill's College, and although she initially struggles with the looser tenants of a liberal arts education, she manages to put herself through school and graduate at the top of her class. She breaks the emotional and financial shackles of her family in order to ultimately overcome the negligence of her childhood, later running a very successful shop where she sells handmade pottery. By doing so, Jade reclaims her racial, personal, and artistic identity for herself. She can finally recognize herself as a woman of great strength and resilience.
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