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drlainie's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Excrement, Vomit, Child abuse, Classism, Xenophobia, Deportation, and Animal death
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Body shaming, Animal cruelty, Grief, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Cancer, and Racial slurs
Minor: Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Misogyny, Stalking, Abortion, Bullying, and Sexism
adrienne_rennie's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Classism, Deportation, Chronic illness, Medical content, Racial slurs, Medical trauma, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Bullying, Racism, and Cancer
Minor: Hate crime, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship
hollydyer328's review against another edition
3.0
Because the story is so focused on these ~5 years of her life in the US, the memoir came off as her processing childhood trauma. It's pretty bleak throughout with little redemption or coming of age, except it is slightly mentioned by the very end. This story almost feels too personal for the general public to read (and purchase), and I'm not sure what the takeaways are other than awareness and empathy for one account of the undocumented immigrant experience.
I listened on audio read by the author, and the narration was helpful for the pronunciation of Chinese phrases, but the tone lacked the emotion that would have enhanced the story.
Graphic: Vomit and Deportation
Moderate: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Cultural appropriation, and Domestic abuse
shakakan's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, and Xenophobia
carlys_currently_'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, and Vomit
erebus53's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful Country is a direct translation of the Chinese term for USA 美国 - Mĕiguó . Whenever I hear " Mĕiguó " spoken, I picture the characters in my mind. A year working at a Chinese Newspaper will do that to a nerdy lass who likes languages. I have always been struck by how ironic the name is. The memoire written is an awakening from a childhood where the author needs to protect herself over and again, from the perils of being an "illegal" migrant. When any false word could get you deported, you learn to say what people want to hear.
From sweat shops, and bigoted teachers, buying the cheapest food possible, and making do with forgaed treasures, this is a candid story of poverty, Racism, and survival. I found the descriptions reminded me of many things that have been part of my life, and drew stark contrast between some of my own experiences as a White New Zealander ( Pākeha ) living in a country with social security.
I expect that some of this recounting may be affronting to those who are unaware of the type of life that oppressed people can easily fall into. The story is that of someone who has survived, but doesn't really feel as saccharine as a lot of inspiration stories can be.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Sexism
Moderate: Chronic illness, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Body shaming, Bullying, Deportation, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Pedophilia, Abortion, and Gun violence
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Vomit
aargot1's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Medical content, and Abandonment
alyssancoon's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Vomit, Racism, and Racial slurs
Minor: Abandonment
emzireads's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Racism, and Grief