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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
This is a memoir of the author’s childhood as an undocumented immigrant from China growing up in Brooklyn. In China, Qian’s parents were professors. In the US, they are “illegal,” and her parents work in a sweatshop, barely able to feed themselves and living in one-room housing with shared kitchens and bathrooms. Qian struggles to fit in with her classmates, despite them being from immigrant families too, and bears the burden of her parents’ stresses about finances, deportation, illness, and their marriage. Yet, she’s a child who tries to see the bright spots in cat ownership, making friends she can relate to, and applying to a prestigious middle school.
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I read this for one of my book clubs and it fostered a really good discussion. Like many lawyers, Qian Julie Wang is an excellent writer and story teller, and she also provided excellent narration for the audiobook. This is an engaging immigrant story worth reading, but as with other memoirs, I’m not rating.
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I read this for one of my book clubs and it fostered a really good discussion. Like many lawyers, Qian Julie Wang is an excellent writer and story teller, and she also provided excellent narration for the audiobook. This is an engaging immigrant story worth reading, but as with other memoirs, I’m not rating.
Wang has written one of the most poignant and pressing memoirs of growing up an immigrant, undocumented, Chinese, and poor in the biggest city in the US. Her story was so beautifully told, with details woven into her memories in a way that let you visualize every moment she chose to share. It is also an important commentary on the challenges faced by those with multiple intersectional marginalized identities. It was a honor to read Wang’s story and I am grateful she told it this way.
challenging
dark
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medium-paced
challenging
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Wow. This book was so moving and relevant to what is going on in the US.
It also is a good reminder that kids don’t always understand what you’re saying, and that you need to be explicitly clear. A lot of Qien’s heartbreak was from adults not assuming she knew what they meant.
It also is a good reminder that kids don’t always understand what you’re saying, and that you need to be explicitly clear. A lot of Qien’s heartbreak was from adults not assuming she knew what they meant.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Minor: Animal cruelty
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
there’s often a lot of noise surrounding immigration & as such it’s easy to think of immigrants in a faceless and dehumanised way. Wang’s memoir is a profound reminder that all of us are human at our core, no matter our station in life. her story highlights the dark side of the American Dream story, the one where racism, poverty, and disempowerment are often glossed over.
this also resonated with me strongly because Wang scatters romanised Chinese phrases throughout her narrative, a lot of which I heard throughout my childhood as well. this added to her story for me, but I could potentially see this being confusing for a reader without a Chinese background. Wang also highlights the many people who discouraged her throughout her life, which makes for a tale of hardship & resilience, but I also wish there was more focus on those who inspired her.
those aside, my biggest takeaway from Wang’s memoir is to be kind to the people around you because you never know what they’re going through.
this also resonated with me strongly because Wang scatters romanised Chinese phrases throughout her narrative, a lot of which I heard throughout my childhood as well. this added to her story for me, but I could potentially see this being confusing for a reader without a Chinese background. Wang also highlights the many people who discouraged her throughout her life, which makes for a tale of hardship & resilience, but I also wish there was more focus on those who inspired her.
those aside, my biggest takeaway from Wang’s memoir is to be kind to the people around you because you never know what they’re going through.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Bullying
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced