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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
As an educator I was particularly moved by this story. It is a reminder of the opportunity we have to be an inspiration to young students or to stifle dreams and creativity. Reading this memoir and leaning all that Qian accomplishes through her hard work and determination is inspiring but yet also heartbreaking. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Very moving account of young Chinese immigrant's life in NYC.
I enjoyed this memoir, though I think I would have enjoyed reading it vs. listening to it. For some reason, the author's narration was not super compelling to me, though there were several parts of the story that inspired empathy. This book provides a stark reality of what it means to live in the shadows as an undocumented immigrant, that this undocumented life is a cloud surrounding a Chinese family unit of mom, dad, and daughter brings a unique element. You do want to root for Qian, the daughter of this family whose life is unstable due to poverty, stress, domestic violence, xenaphobia... it is both a love letter and apocalyptic tale largely set in New York City.
I devoured this book. The vivid descriptions of Qian's daily life as an undocumented person and her struggle to achieve her dreams make you empathize and root for her and her family.
A warning though: there are several graphic descriptions of violence against animals that I wasn't prepared for.
A warning though: there are several graphic descriptions of violence against animals that I wasn't prepared for.