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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
This was my Book of the Month (BotM) selection for September 2021. My 11th since joining. The finish line of my first year is in sight.
I chose this book because I read [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415428227l/20518872._SY75_.jpg|25696480] earlier this year, and based on the preview I read, I had hoped this memoir would provide more context on China's Cultural Revolution in the 60's. (It didn't).
This was okay overall. Something about the writing didn't quite work for me, but I couldn't put my finger on what until I read the author's bio on Goodreads. That's when it clicked - yes, this reads exactly like it was written "...on her iPhone, during her subway commute to and from work..." It explains the disjointed, choppy quality and why the chapters reads like a bunch of childhood memories cobbled together to pave an uneven path traversed while following a thin and not always coherent narrative thread. The gaps and unsuccessful attempts at alternating timelines formed a sieve that unfortunately drained some of the emotional resonance out of the story for me.
Despite this there were still segments of the book that held together enough to eloquently convey the constant anxiety of a child hiding her undocumented status, the devastating impact of poverty and food instability, and the insidiousness of racism, sexism and the two playing out in tandem. This was ultimately the deciding factor between two and three stars.
Would I recommend it? Depends. I imagine there are a number of readers who would not be bothered at all by the stylistic stuff that hampered my enjoyment. However, if you (like me) have a hard time with animal cruelty, then definitely skip this one. Marylin the cat is truly the tragic victim of this family.
Will I read anything else by the author? No. Don't know that the author has another book in her.
BotM ongoing impression(s): I joined foolishly thinking the five selections would be the best of all the books being released each month. I have learned to temper my expectations and think of them more like the five most popular Real Housewives of a season.
I will again end with my BotM review: "This story is a patch in the quilt that is America, important but unfortunately not very distinctive. Wish the writing and editing had been better."
I chose this book because I read [b:The Three-Body Problem|20518872|The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past #1)|Liu Cixin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415428227l/20518872._SY75_.jpg|25696480] earlier this year, and based on the preview I read, I had hoped this memoir would provide more context on China's Cultural Revolution in the 60's. (It didn't).
This was okay overall. Something about the writing didn't quite work for me, but I couldn't put my finger on what until I read the author's bio on Goodreads. That's when it clicked - yes, this reads exactly like it was written "...on her iPhone, during her subway commute to and from work..." It explains the disjointed, choppy quality and why the chapters reads like a bunch of childhood memories cobbled together to pave an uneven path traversed while following a thin and not always coherent narrative thread. The gaps and unsuccessful attempts at alternating timelines formed a sieve that unfortunately drained some of the emotional resonance out of the story for me.
Despite this there were still segments of the book that held together enough to eloquently convey the constant anxiety of a child hiding her undocumented status, the devastating impact of poverty and food instability, and the insidiousness of racism, sexism and the two playing out in tandem. This was ultimately the deciding factor between two and three stars.
Would I recommend it? Depends. I imagine there are a number of readers who would not be bothered at all by the stylistic stuff that hampered my enjoyment. However, if you (like me) have a hard time with animal cruelty, then definitely skip this one. Marylin the cat is truly the tragic victim of this family.
Will I read anything else by the author? No. Don't know that the author has another book in her.
BotM ongoing impression(s): I joined foolishly thinking the five selections would be the best of all the books being released each month. I have learned to temper my expectations and think of them more like the five most popular Real Housewives of a season.
I will again end with my BotM review: "This story is a patch in the quilt that is America, important but unfortunately not very distinctive. Wish the writing and editing had been better."
Beautiful book and beautiful writing. Wang tells the story of her childhood in great detail, somehow conveying with such vivid and detailed memory a painful and resilient childhood. What most particularly stood out to me was the way she conveyed the relationships she has with her parents: the impact they've made on her, the sacrifices they've made for her, and the immense love they have for her--elements of life that remind me of my own parents and how infinitely blessed I am to have them. Perhaps another dimension of her story I also related to were parts of her Asian American upbringing: the food she enjoyed, parts of American culture she reveled at quest to find her own identity and belonging. Reading this book after having lived outside of my home country for a couple years also made me think about the American identity and immigrant experience--what does it mean to belong to a place, to call it home?
While I've had a very different life, reading her book made me appreciate parts of my own upbringing, and that feeling is quite priceless. Growing up in a low-income household, Wang beautifully conveys the appreciation she experienced for the small moments in life, something I think everyone can strive for. Wang is a gifted writer and has the ability to convey such precise feelings, reactions, thoughts in her story.
While I've had a very different life, reading her book made me appreciate parts of my own upbringing, and that feeling is quite priceless. Growing up in a low-income household, Wang beautifully conveys the appreciation she experienced for the small moments in life, something I think everyone can strive for. Wang is a gifted writer and has the ability to convey such precise feelings, reactions, thoughts in her story.
Wow. I normally don’t enjoy memoirs or autobiographies, but this book is amazing. Funny, heart wrenching, touching and so brutally honest. I am in awe of what the author went through coming to America and how she survived. Deeply moving and so worth the read. Brava, Qian Julie Chang!
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A memoir of the unhappy childhood of an undocumented immigrant in New York - one of the saddest and most depressing memoirs I have ever read.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Un memoir di un'infanzia difficile, passata fra la Cina natìa e l'insicurezza di New York. Descrizioni vivide e sofferte di una vita da immigrata, vista attraverso gli occhi di una bambina. Molto potente e sicuramente consigliato.
I gave it a good shot about 1.5 hours into the book. It just did not ever get more interesting or captivating for me. The writing is pretty basic. I just didn’t want to invest another 8 hours of my life for something that hadn’t already caught my attention.
Obligatory "I don't rate memoirs but I rated this one" here.
Honestly, a heartbreaking but important read.
Honestly, a heartbreaking but important read.
If you want a memoir about the searing tribulations of migrant children, skip this whiny, self-serving mess and read Solito by Javier Zamora.
DNF at 33% when her mom got fired for spitting in people's food. I've worked in many restaurant jobs and I've been mistreated in a litany of ways, but never have I ever contaminated someone's food. Really shameful stuff in this book. Yes, it's unfortunate that so many people are sold lies about the American Dream, but no one forced this person's family to illegally come to the US and live in fear that even the author admits was overblown. This was a very boring slog that could have been a short story about anyone's difficult childhood; yes, even poor American-citizen kids get mocked in school and often go hungry.
DNF at 33% when her mom got fired for spitting in people's food. I've worked in many restaurant jobs and I've been mistreated in a litany of ways, but never have I ever contaminated someone's food. Really shameful stuff in this book. Yes, it's unfortunate that so many people are sold lies about the American Dream, but no one forced this person's family to illegally come to the US and live in fear that even the author admits was overblown. This was a very boring slog that could have been a short story about anyone's difficult childhood; yes, even poor American-citizen kids get mocked in school and often go hungry.