Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
A beautiful memoir of a woman’s story whose life is so parallel to mine in terms of timing and coming from a Chinese immigrant background but so different in terms of her lived experience. Paints a picture of life that are unseen by most and very well written. I’m impressed by the level of details in her memory from that elementary to middle school time period.
my insta my tiktok my blog
Beautiful Country: A Memoir is an eye-opening debut that hooks you from the first few sentences.
My heart broke a couple of times reading it, finding her family's resilience and determination admirable. The author shares her experiences as an illegal immigrant, unafraid to show all the emotions she constantly felt growing up.
Wang writes this memoir from the perspective of her seven-year-old self, full of innocence and high expectations about the world. This is a really well-written and engaging book.
I admire how Qian Julie Wang writes, sharing an intimate part of herself with the rest of the world.
CW: racism and xenophobia (violence and slurs), asian fetishization, poverty and food insecurity, domestic violence, verbal abuse, body shaming, suicide attempt, trauma, animal abuse, pedophilic stalker, anxiety, psychological abuse/gaslighting, sexual harassment, mental illness, neglect.
Beautiful Country: A Memoir is an eye-opening debut that hooks you from the first few sentences.
My heart broke a couple of times reading it, finding her family's resilience and determination admirable. The author shares her experiences as an illegal immigrant, unafraid to show all the emotions she constantly felt growing up.
Wang writes this memoir from the perspective of her seven-year-old self, full of innocence and high expectations about the world. This is a really well-written and engaging book.
I admire how Qian Julie Wang writes, sharing an intimate part of herself with the rest of the world.
CW: racism and xenophobia (violence and slurs), asian fetishization, poverty and food insecurity, domestic violence, verbal abuse, body shaming, suicide attempt, trauma, animal abuse, pedophilic stalker, anxiety, psychological abuse/gaslighting, sexual harassment, mental illness, neglect.
She has a perspective that needs to be heard. This memoir just wasn’t for me.
I had the pleasure of meeting Qian at a conference a few months back. Her poise and way with words aren't just as a writer but also as a speaker. I wish now I had read her story prior to meeting. I have a family member whose primary language is Mandarin and I learned more about her culture and family expectations through reading Qian's work. I recognized words from my time with this family member and had I been able to make that connection prior to meeting Qian I would have loved to have shared that impact with her.
undocumented immigrant experience in mostly Brooklyn, and watching through difficult childhood eyes how marriage can get harder and harder.
beautiful story, and s/o to all the tamagotchi mentions
Possibly my favorite read of the year. Beautiful and heartbreaking and nostalgic.
WOW. This story was amazing. a must read for all. I love this one so much- my first one in so many books that I have straight up ADORED.
I always read both inner flaps of hardcover books before starting to read the story. In this book, I read first thing that Qian Julie Wang went to Yale Law School and is now a managing partner at a law firm, specializing in education and civil rights law. And after reading her memoir, I want to work for her!
This is an amazing story of Wang Qian and her Ma Ma and Ba Ba immigrating from China to the United States when she was 9 years old. It’s the story of their lives in Brooklyn, and all the systems they navigate as a family and alone.
Qian tells us vivid stories from her childhood in China- running through hutong and eating quail in the basket seat of her mother’s bike. She also recalls her childhood in the US- the painful hunger her mother taught her would make her stronger, and Marilyn the black cat zooming through their tiny home.
My heart ached with Qian as I read this story- aching for her home in China while feeling so sad and alone in a new place.
This story reminded me of My Beloved World- Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor’s autobiography. Another instant favorite of mine.
Highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a moving memoir, a beautifully told story of struggle, persistent, patience, and grief- please read this. Qian Julie Wang’s writing is so beautifully descriptive- I wish I had the words to describe the power of the emotions I felt during this story. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
I always read both inner flaps of hardcover books before starting to read the story. In this book, I read first thing that Qian Julie Wang went to Yale Law School and is now a managing partner at a law firm, specializing in education and civil rights law. And after reading her memoir, I want to work for her!
This is an amazing story of Wang Qian and her Ma Ma and Ba Ba immigrating from China to the United States when she was 9 years old. It’s the story of their lives in Brooklyn, and all the systems they navigate as a family and alone.
Qian tells us vivid stories from her childhood in China- running through hutong and eating quail in the basket seat of her mother’s bike. She also recalls her childhood in the US- the painful hunger her mother taught her would make her stronger, and Marilyn the black cat zooming through their tiny home.
My heart ached with Qian as I read this story- aching for her home in China while feeling so sad and alone in a new place.
This story reminded me of My Beloved World- Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor’s autobiography. Another instant favorite of mine.
Highly recommend this story for anyone looking for a moving memoir, a beautifully told story of struggle, persistent, patience, and grief- please read this. Qian Julie Wang’s writing is so beautifully descriptive- I wish I had the words to describe the power of the emotions I felt during this story. I can’t recommend this highly enough.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
An eye opening memoir of an undocumented Chinese girl, constantly on edge due to a multitude of worries-deportation, hidden social rules in a strange country, health and money problems among many other things. It is a wonder to me how Ms. Wang grew into such a successful adult. I highly recommend the audio version of the book, as she reads it herself.