Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops

A Memoir

De: Allison Hong Merrill

Narrado por: Kathleen Li

Allison Hong is not your typical 15-year-old Taiwanese girl. Unwilling to bend to the conditioning of her Chinese culture, which demands that women submit to men’s will, she disobeys her father’s demand to stay in their faith tradition, Buddhism, and instead joins the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Then, six years later, she drops out of college to serve a mission—a decision for which her father disowns her.

After serving her mission in Taiwan, 22-year-old Allison marries her Chinese-speaking American boyfriend, Cameron Chastain. But 16 months later, Allison returns home to their Texas apartment and is shocked to discover that, in her two-hour absence, Cameron has taken all the money, moved out, and filed for divorce. Desperate for love and acceptance, Allison moves to Utah and enlists in an imaginary, unforgiving dating war against the bachelorettes at Brigham Young University, where the rules don’t make sense—and winning isn’t what she thought it would be.

©2021 She Writes Press (P)2022 Allison Hong Merrill

"Captivating Storytelling, great memoir"

Allison Merrill's 'Ninety Nine Fire Hoops' is a remarkable memoir that embodies the essence of challenges and resilience. Through her captivating storytelling, Merrill takes readers on a deeply personal journey, sharing her experiences of overcoming life's most formidable fire hoops. Her insights and reflections offer invaluable life lessons that inspire readers to persevere through their own challenges, reinforcing the idea that giving up is never an option.

Great storyline and storytelling from a very complex and challenging life.

I loved the happy ending and all that she had to overcome to get there.

Love really does change everything

From a young girl who experienced abuse, neglect and the pressures of a culturally male dominated society, to a self assured, confident and determined woman who changed the course of her life, this story will have you crying that humans can be so awful to each other and then celebrating the goodness of God and the strength of the human spirit.

I enjoyed following the author’s story of overcoming and reinventing herself to the person she wanted to become, the person that God knew she could become, despite numerous soul crushing obstacles.

This story was insightful in highlighting the differences between female roles in traditional Chinese and Western culture.

Mostly this story resonated with me because it showcased the power of LOVE: self love, the love of friends and strangers, familial love, the true, deep love of a faithful spouse , loving (through forgiveness) those who’ve hurt us and most importantly the love of God and His Son.

Difficult but meaningful book

Loved this journey difficult but real and good. She has great insights and reflections that can strengthen others.

Heart-wrenching and inspiring

Great narration takes you deep into a powerful and inspiring memoir. I highly recommend it!

A Must-read Memoir in the Vein of Educated

This memoir is jaw-dropping.

Merrill faced so much adversity in her turbulent childhood and as an immigrant bride but what really stands out is her faith filled perspective and her personal growth as a woman of worth. It makes getting through some of the tough descriptions worth it. This is a thought provoking, feeling stirring type of read. Beware that it does contain some strong language (as quoted by certain people to illustrate a point) but overall this is definitely one I would recommend to those who like uplifting, inspirational, real-life stories. It reads similar to Educated by Tara Westover but is a different look at LDS culture, the American Dream, and subverting expectations.

Engaging story, pitch-perfect narration

An in-depth look at one woman's trial-filled journey from a tough upbringing in Taiwan, to what often seems like an even tougher situation immigrating to the U.S. via marriage to an immature man who, initially, represents the woman's chosen faith path in life.

Although the Taiwanese settings, customs, and overall cultural milieu may seem foreign to many a Western listener, the relatability of the tale should keep you engaged. If you're interested in learning how to understand and navigate certain foundational East-West cultural differences, this memoir is a great way to see some of the challenges in action.

Kathleen Li's narration really captures the spirit of the story. Very impressive!

Emotional

I was hooked from the first sentence. I had to know the story behind this situation. How did she end up abandoned and left with nothing? From then on one thing led to another written skillfully keeping the reader/listener intrigued and pushing on through even the parts that are difficult to comprehend. Sometimes I agonized as I thought things would never be right for Allison. This was a book that was hard to read/listen to, but enlightening. I was disappointed to find her converting to Mormonism. I strongly disagree with many of their tenets and actions. It made the book even more difficult for me to read. It made me sad.

The narration was well done. The performance made me feel as though I were listening to Allison herself tell the story of her life. Skillfully done!

I requested this audiobook from the narrator and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Honest and brave

You’ll laugh, cry, and get angry right along side Allison as she tells her story. Hearing what she went through and how she came through on the other side still smiling is more than motivational, it inspires hope in a world that has lost so much of that. Her raw honesty when telling of moments in her life that she’s less than proud of are relatable and endearing. This is definitely worth a read (or listen). There’s a good reason this book has won the awards it has.

*The narrator was hard to get used to, I found increasing the speed really helped. Don’t give up! It’s beautifully done once you fully sync with the voice.

Story was moving. The narrator was perfect!

A story of hope, reliance and triumph. The author took you through all of her emotions so beautifully. In the hundreds of books I’ve read, I typically don’t look over the acknowledgments. I am so glad I did for this book. It was an extension or epilogue of the story. And knowing the author, I found it cute and funny.

The narrator genuinely connected with the character and the story. I read actual books and listen to audio books. This is one I’m so glad I had on audio, it really brought the story alive.