Allison Hong Merrill - Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops

Praise for Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops

From her journey as a fresh-off-the-boat immigrant speaking only Mandarin Chinese, to her voyages back and forth through different spiritual and social frames of mind, Merrill creates a powerful saga of a personal journey replete with emotionally-charged well-springs of inheritance, discovery, and change.

D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a fascinating, important, and well-developed narrative, told by a sympathetic narrator with much urgency and grace.

Sue William Silverman, author of How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences

Allison Hong Merrill makes three intertwined journeysthrough family, faith, and immigrationeach filled with danger, heartbreak, and, ultimately, joy. Watching Allison grow from fearful child and unknowing bride into her own power to love and be loved is meaningful and moving, and discovering her native Taiwan through childhood stories is fascinating. A powerful and inspiring journey from loneliness and fear to love and hope.

Allison K. Williams, Social Media Editor at Brevity Magazine and author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro from Blank Page to Book

What an enthralling story from the beginning to the end! Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a compelling reflection on the American dream. With deep insight and lyrical writing, Allison Hong Merrill deftly narrates an unforgettable tale of love, courage, and determination. Her resilience is a timeless lesson that theres glory in human struggles. An extraordinary offering!

Toni Sorenson, award-winning author of Redemption Road

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a beautiful memoir that will bring you to tears and make you laugh in the same few pages. Allison Hong Merrill rises from the ashes of a neglected and abused childhood to arrive in America, only to face harsh disappointments and broken dreams. Interwoven into the compelling scenes is Allisons resilience that burns deep in her soul, until she can fully grasp how her trials have made her stronger, more sympathetic, and more loving. Her knack for blending her remarkable heritage with poignant insights makes this book one to absorb instead of simply reading.

Heather B. Moore, author of The Paper Daughters of Chinatown

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops follows Allisons journey from Taiwan to Utah seeking love and belonging after a difficult childhood, marriage, and divorce. The story is heartfelt, brave, ultimately inspiring, and written in a uniquely charming voice.

Harrison Candelaria Fletcher, author of Presentimiento: A Life in Dreams

Russian composer Dmitri Shostavoch said, When a man is in despair, it means that he still believes in something. In the case of young Allison Hong Merrill, her desire to believe in something may have saved her from ultimate despair. Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops masterfully weaves stories of the authors Chinese family, spanning two decades, intermingled with regional history, culture, and culture shock in America. A fascinating tale of both cruelty and compassion.

Jodi Orgill Brown, interactions expert, speaker, and award-winning author of The Sun Still Shines

Allison Hong Merrill has a gift for writing a dramatic tale while simultaneously sharing her hard-won wisdom. Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops reads like a novel. Merrills story not only gives a reader a greater understanding of Chinese culture, language, and traditions but also provides insight into the human condition while building a bridge between East and West. A brilliant and beautiful debut!

Rev. Camilla Sanderson, author of The Mini Book of Mindfulness

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a deeply moving memoir that depicts the story of a Taiwanese immigrant bride abandoned in Texas and how she triumphs over tremendous odds to build her American dream. Allison Hong Merrills gift of storytelling will take you on an exciting, rewarding, and emotional journey and leave you wanting more.

Dr. Linda Murphy Marshall, author of Ivy Lodge: A Memoir

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops is a captivating coming-of-age story of lost innocence, cultural divides, and transcendence. Alongside her inspiring tale of overcoming daunting circumstances, the author provides fascinating glimpses into Taiwanese customs and Mormon spiritual beliefs. I learned a lot about the Mormon community, and Hong Merrills voice is incandescent and irresistible. By the end of the book, I wanted to adopt her.

Heather Diamond, author of Rabbit in the Moon: A Memoir

Inaugural winner of the 2020 Sandra Carpenter Prize for Creative Nonfiction

Grand Prize winner of the 2019 MAST People of Earth writing contest

Honorable Mention in the 2020 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest

Shortlisted finalist in the 2019 DL Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence

Shortlisted finalist in the 2020 Fish Publishing Memoir Award

Shortlisted finalist in the 2019 Eyelands Book Awards (Athens, Greece)

Featured interviewee for KSL Mormon Times, March 4, 2011

Featured interviewee for the Latter-day Saints Channel, May 30, 2020

The Allison Hong Merrill Exhibit, Our History Our Voices Project, March 10, 2021

Cosmonauts Avenue, July 2020

Ninety-Nine Fire Hoops

Copyright 2021, Allison Hong Merrill

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, digital scanning, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please address She Writes Press.

Published 2021

Printed in the United States of America

Print ISBN: 978-1-64742-189-2

E-ISBN: 978-1-64742-190-8

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021906357

For information, address:

She Writes Press

1569 Solano Ave #546

Berkeley, CA 94707

She Writes Press is a division of SparkPoint Studio, LLC.

All company and/or product names may be trade names, logos, trademarks, and/or registered trademarks and are the property of their respective owners.

Names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals.

With eternal love and gratitude
to my husband
and our sons:

For Ah-Gung & Ah-Po:

For my rebirth parents:
Burton D. Bushman & Thelys C. Bushman

I discovered that I became a starter wife from a light switch.

Not a light bulb, like I had a big idea. A light switch. A light switch in my apartment that I flipped on and off but the living room remained dark, and that darkness caused a pricking, tingling sensation in my hands and feet.

When I left the apartment two hours earlier, the lights worked, the heater ran, and Cameronmy husband of sixteen monthswas doing homework on our bed. Lately we kept fighting about investing in the boat his father planned to purchase. I said no, and we had been giving each other the cold shoulder for days. Tired of our never-ending arguments, now I wanted reconciliation. This particular day, around dinnertime, I went to seek marriage advice from my classmate, a fellow Taiwanese student. Before leaving, I stood before Cameron and said good-bye. If he heard me, he acted otherwise. So I wrote