how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty

[Maybo]

Chinese-Americans, when you try to understand what things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty, insanities, one family, your mother who marked your growing with stories, from what is Chinese? What is Chinese tradition and what is the movies?

These sentence's structure is complicated. I don't understand.

No Name Woman – by Maxine Hong Kingston
https://www.google.com.hk/url?sa=t&r...WFUumdwOKE-Zq2

 

[Tarheel]

Say:

The structure of these sentences is complicated. I don't understand them.

The writer seems to think people confuse real life with the movies.