Marianne Tong

About the Author

Marianne was a healthy little German girl until the ravages of World War II took their toll. She barely survived a mysterious illness, terrorizing air raids, and her parents’ divorce.

When her mother married an American and emigrated to America, Marianne was expected to follow. Her ocean voyage from Italy to New York changed her life into that of a normal American teenager.

In a twist of fate, Marianne met a Los Angeles-born Chinese American serviceman in Bermuda, causing a great uproar in her family.

Eventually they got married and raised four children while remaining active in a variety of community events, including earning University degrees. The Little Girl That Could, A Memoir was published in 2009.

Marianne’s desire to learn about her ancestry has led her to discover precious information in documents from Germany. Her curiosity about her husband’s ancestry led her to do research at the National Archives & Records Administration in San Bruno. Among the aged files from Angel Island, she has found a wealth of materials to weave the tales in Mindpieces, a Collection of Short Works, published in 2011.

Every summer from 1985 to 1995 Marianne conducted summer school in her home for her grandchildren. The book, Banking, Bowling and Beethoven tells of the fun things she enjoyed teaching them as the group grew from four boisterous kids to a well-behaved class of eight or more.

A more recent book, Maria Lives! tells a fictionalized story about Marianne's intrepid great-great-grandmother. This book is printed in English and German on opposing pages.

A New Home for Marianne is the author's first venture into illustrated children's books. The book is Volume one of a series of three.

Marianne and her husband Lee make their home in northern California within easy driving distance of their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and their extended families.