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vickizliu's review
3.0
"Half a century and a migration across the world later, it would take therapy’s slow and arduous unraveling for me to see that the thread of trauma was woven into every fiber of my family, my childhood."
Parts of her memoir really resonated with me as I also came to the US around the same age (although I was never undocumented) and had similar experiences of being completely uprooted from everything I knew. What could have elevated this to a 5-star read for me is more introspection or reflectiveness beyond just telling the story of her childhood. A humbling read nonetheless.
Parts of her memoir really resonated with me as I also came to the US around the same age (although I was never undocumented) and had similar experiences of being completely uprooted from everything I knew. What could have elevated this to a 5-star read for me is more introspection or reflectiveness beyond just telling the story of her childhood. A humbling read nonetheless.
bookph1le's review
5.0
This book was so searing and gut-wrenching. It's the kind of book I wish I could put into the hands of every person who thinks illegal immigrants have it easy in this country, and that they're stealing "good" jobs from Americans. I don't see how you can read an account like this and not empathize with what Wang and her family went through, as well as feel uncomfortable about the ugly side of America, a side that seems to be rearing its head more and more often of late. This one will stick with me for a very long time.
aaadkins27's review
2.0
I don't want to be rude and say this was boring, because it was the story of her very depressing and deprived childhood. I am proud of how successful she became when all the odds were against her. I can appreciate her creative writing style and the chuckle-worthy moments as it was told from a child’s perspective, but if you're looking for an exciting read, this ain't it.
gck's review
4.0
Beautiful Country is a literal translation of the Chinese words for the United States, but Qian Julie Wang's memoir of an undocumented child's experience in the United States has many moments that are anything but beautiful. Wang writes the voice and perspective of herself as a child so well that I really felt immersed in her world. She writes many phrases and sentences in Chinese pinyin. They're mostly translated or explained in the following sentences, but for me as a Chinese speaker, I could imagine all of the characters speaking in their native language.
I think Wang's story is important to tell because it is different from how people usually imagine both undocumented families and Chinese families. The poverty and struggles that are described in this memoir are so different from the "model minority" homogenous image that is applied to Asian Americans.
The main reason this wasn't a 5 star book for me was because I wanted the story to go further. It's mostly about a specific period of Wang's life and ends pretty abruptly after that. Yet we know that she went on to go to a prestigious law school and have a very successful career. I would have been interested to read more of the transition between these two phases of life. Maybe there will be a sequel!
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I think Wang's story is important to tell because it is different from how people usually imagine both undocumented families and Chinese families. The poverty and struggles that are described in this memoir are so different from the "model minority" homogenous image that is applied to Asian Americans.
The main reason this wasn't a 5 star book for me was because I wanted the story to go further. It's mostly about a specific period of Wang's life and ends pretty abruptly after that. Yet we know that she went on to go to a prestigious law school and have a very successful career. I would have been interested to read more of the transition between these two phases of life. Maybe there will be a sequel!
Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
quiltmom14's review
5.0
Haunting, beautifully-written memoir. A true immigrant success story, where success is defined by surviving grueling physical and emotional traumas, both from within the family and from the cruelty of a society allergic to “others.” As an immigrant, some parts of this were a little too close to home; the author doesn’t allow her readers to look away. Absolutely must read.
smalltownbookmom's review
4.0
This was a really eye-opening #ownvoices memoir about an undocumented Chinese immigrant family's life in New York City. Beautifully written by the daughter as she witnesses her parents struggle to find work and live under the constant fear of deportation and health scares this was deeply moving.
I am fortunate enough to never have had to live a life of poverty and uncertainty but I really enjoyed how books and reading were a means of escape (and in particular The Baby-Sitter's Club books - as I was also obsessed with those as a young girl!). There's even a Canada connection, as her family moves to Toronto for a while before they're able to return to America freely. Highly recommend, especially on audio narrated by the author.
Favorite quote:
"Only later after living many years in fear, would I understand that the risks were much lower than we believed at the time. But in the vacuum of anxiety that was undocumented life, fear was gaseous. It expanded to fill our entire world until it was all we could breathe."
"I made my way through the classroom bookcase...I read until my loneliness dulled and I felt myself to be in the good company of all my vibrantly colored, two-dimensional friends. I read until excitement replaced hopelessness."
I am fortunate enough to never have had to live a life of poverty and uncertainty but I really enjoyed how books and reading were a means of escape (and in particular The Baby-Sitter's Club books - as I was also obsessed with those as a young girl!). There's even a Canada connection, as her family moves to Toronto for a while before they're able to return to America freely. Highly recommend, especially on audio narrated by the author.
Favorite quote:
"Only later after living many years in fear, would I understand that the risks were much lower than we believed at the time. But in the vacuum of anxiety that was undocumented life, fear was gaseous. It expanded to fill our entire world until it was all we could breathe."
"I made my way through the classroom bookcase...I read until my loneliness dulled and I felt myself to be in the good company of all my vibrantly colored, two-dimensional friends. I read until excitement replaced hopelessness."
terrimarshall's review
5.0
This book will definitely be on my list of Best Reads of 2021. Qian Julie's story is very powerful and reminded me of The Glass Castle and Educated. This was a great memoir that I will be thinking about for a while.
leslico's review
4.0
I always enjoy well written memoirs narrated by the author, as they can tell their own story the best. Especially when they include words and phrases in other languages. Qian Julie Wang has had an amazing life so far, moving from China, where her parents were both professors, to New York City, where they scraped by as undocumented immigrants working in sweatshops and fearing deportation. The poverty, hardship and discrimination they live through are heartbreaking. Qian escapes into books, teaches herself English and eventually becomes a lawyer, but most of the book is about her childhood and how she and her parents survived. A very moving and meaningful debut!
thereadingscoop's review
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up.
Beautiful and hard to read story of Quin’s journey to America. Her family comes for the American dream and that never really comes through for them. I enjoyed it up until the end when the ending was a bit rushed.
Beautiful and hard to read story of Quin’s journey to America. Her family comes for the American dream and that never really comes through for them. I enjoyed it up until the end when the ending was a bit rushed.