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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
This was a beautifully written memoir that also was painful to read because of the trauma she describes in so many different ways. But so worth it, I couldn’t put it down and literally read it in hours while traveling. **Thank you to Doubleday and Penguin Randomhouse for this Goodreads Giveaway bound galley
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Though admittedly a slower read, I think it had to be as such. Qian Julie Wang has given us a look into a very unique and difficult childhood, fraught with uncertainty, danger, and strife. Her exploration of trauma as an undocumented and very much “othered” person is courageous and beautiful. I felt a bit as if she were trying to find her voice as the book progressed, and by the final pages I felt that she had really learned to write like herself. An excellent, somber, humbling piece that resonates joy from the dark places. Absolutely worth reading.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
This was a difficult read. It was not because of the writing, which meticulously captured Wang's painful, lonely experience as an immigrant child, but rather because the story was dark and filled with terrible ordeals that no one should have to endure. It was telling that the happy(ish) ending was not in America - this is not a welcoming place for all and in fact can be quite hostile. If you are looking for a gritty picture of immigration, this is the book for you.
This is one of those books that will stick with me forever. It's simultaneously both beautiful and sad. After finishing this, I went for a walk and felt myself genuinely looking at the world differently. There's not many books that stay with me like that.
"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."
In Chinese, Mei Guo is the word for America, which translates to "beautiful country." From the outside, America might seem that way, but turns out this country isn't so beautiful after all.
Qian's memoir was stunning, heartbreaking, moving. She writes about the hurdles of adapting to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. Being constantly on edge, worried that at any minute her and her family might be deported. The struggles of having to put food on the table, and doing what it takes to get it there. What it was like to be an outsider, especially at school. Having to work harder than those around her to prove she belongs.
The writing was emotional and riveting. The pain and the trauma is palpable through the words on the page. It's heavy and heartbreaking, yet beautiful and inspiring.
No review anyone writes will ever do this book justice. Everyone needs to read this. I'd recommend it to literally everyone.
"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."
In Chinese, Mei Guo is the word for America, which translates to "beautiful country." From the outside, America might seem that way, but turns out this country isn't so beautiful after all.
Qian's memoir was stunning, heartbreaking, moving. She writes about the hurdles of adapting to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. Being constantly on edge, worried that at any minute her and her family might be deported. The struggles of having to put food on the table, and doing what it takes to get it there. What it was like to be an outsider, especially at school. Having to work harder than those around her to prove she belongs.
The writing was emotional and riveting. The pain and the trauma is palpable through the words on the page. It's heavy and heartbreaking, yet beautiful and inspiring.
No review anyone writes will ever do this book justice. Everyone needs to read this. I'd recommend it to literally everyone.
I wish I could sit down with Qian Qian and hear her tell this story all over again
I felt like I experienced the first few years of Qian’s life in America with her. Through learning the language, working in the sweatshop with her mom and seeing her take up all the jobs to work for the dream her father wanted, to her cat Marilyn, to her mom’s sickness and seeing her navigate through it the best she knew how…this was such an amazing memoir and I wish the best for Qian and her family