Message From an Unknown Chinese Mother

Book Review - Message From an Unknown Chinese Mother - By Xinran - NYTimes.com: This book gives a voice to some of the poorest women in Chinese society, whose stories would otherwise never be heard. Among them are women like Kumei, a dishwasher who twice tried to kill herself because she'd been forced to drown her baby daughters. When a child is born, Kumei explains, the midwife prepares a bowl of warm water -- called Killing Trouble water, for drowning the child if it's a girl, or Watering the Roots bath, for washing him if it's a boy.