ISBN 978-1-923443-73-0
HARDCOVER
Gweilo White Boy
A year in HongKong
This book shares the journey of a young Greg Jorgensen with scoliosis who, in the mid 70’s, with his family’s support, travelled solo to Hong Kong for corrective spinal surgery.
A 16-year-old spending a whole year in a completely different country and culture! This memoir recounts that adventure navigating a new world, figuring out the language, and all the memorable experiences along the way.
An explanation and thankyou
In Cantonese, “gweilo” (鬼佬) literally translates to “ghost man” and is a common slang term for foreigners, particularly Westerners. While it has a history of potentially being used in a derogatory way, its modern usage is often neutral or non-derogatory. Whether the term is offensive or not is debated, even among Cantonese speakers and Westerners.
Thank you for reading this somewhat autobiographical text on one part of my very lucky life!
Greg Jorgensen
July 2025
[email protected]