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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
A beautifully written memoir about life as an undocumented Chinese immigrant living in New York City in the 1990s. The author is about my age so it was incredible to contrast her childhood with my own. I am admittedly naive about undocumented immigrants but was completely blown away by the descriptions of the hardships and trauma that the author faced. She tells the story through the lens of the scared child that she was which makes it all the more powerful.
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Audio
In contrast with it's title, this book exposes the darkness that accompanies the American dream for many undocumented folks. It took me a long time to read this one because it was quite intense at points. The author doesn't engage in any melodrama. She simply peels back the veil obscuring the ugliness that she encountered in the US as an immigrant child. The inadequate housing she lived in, the unkindness of classmates and neighbors, the fear of being deported at any moment, and most of all, the physical hunger that she felt are palpable in her narrative. The author doesn't neglect the small joys that her family experienced, and honoring her full experience, has written a dynamic memoir that everyone should read.
I'm not one to read or enjoy memoirs, but Beautiful Country was a powerful and fulfilling read. This book follows the story of Qian's family as undocumented immigrants in New York City. It starts out with Qian as a young child leaving China with her mother to join her father in America. One of the most powerful aspects of the novel was Qian's ability to accurately capture the voice of her as a child. You could feel the anxiety and confusion in many places with the fear of being deported. The struggle that Qian's family went through with different jobs, racism and poverty is heartbreaking and unforgettable. This is such an important and timely read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for
my ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for
my ARC.
I'm not one to read or enjoy memoirs, but Beautiful Country was a powerful and fulfilling read. This book follows the story of Qian's family as undocumented immigrants in New York City. It starts out with Qian as a young child leaving China with her mother to join her father in America. One of the most powerful aspects of the novel was Qian's ability to accurately capture the voice of her as a child. You could feel the anxiety and confusion in many places with the fear of being deported. The struggle that Qian's family went through with different jobs, racism and poverty is heartbreaking and unforgettable. This is such an important and timely read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for
my ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for
my ARC.
This memoir is powerful and immersive. The author tells the story of her childhood, starting when she’s about five, when she leaves China with her mother, to join her father in the US. In NYC, she lives with her parents, undocumented aliens, always afraid of being found out and deported.
Her parents, who were professors in China, now have to get the most menial and labor-intensive jobs, and so Qian’s childhood is spent poor, hungry and anxious. When she is little, she often goes with her mother to work, and she earns her own pennies in a sweatshop. She recounts her parents’ arguments, her father’s anger at China because of the trauma his own parents went through during the Cultural Revolution, her mother’s desire to go back.
It sounds grim, but it’s told in a clear, matter-of-fact way, through the eyes of a child who accepts everything at face value. It’s a vivid portrait of struggle, and it should make every reader pause – because the story she tells is not unique to just one family. I was saddened, moved and hopeful by turns, as Qian’s life gradually opened up.
One thing is clear. If it weren’t for public libraries, this book would never have been written, and Qian Julie Wang would not have been able to share her story.
Her parents, who were professors in China, now have to get the most menial and labor-intensive jobs, and so Qian’s childhood is spent poor, hungry and anxious. When she is little, she often goes with her mother to work, and she earns her own pennies in a sweatshop. She recounts her parents’ arguments, her father’s anger at China because of the trauma his own parents went through during the Cultural Revolution, her mother’s desire to go back.
It sounds grim, but it’s told in a clear, matter-of-fact way, through the eyes of a child who accepts everything at face value. It’s a vivid portrait of struggle, and it should make every reader pause – because the story she tells is not unique to just one family. I was saddened, moved and hopeful by turns, as Qian’s life gradually opened up.
One thing is clear. If it weren’t for public libraries, this book would never have been written, and Qian Julie Wang would not have been able to share her story.
3.5 a nice memoir, sad to read, about an Asian immigrant in the US
A very powerful memoir about the experiences of a young girl living as an undocumented immigrant in New York City in the 1990s. So well written and heartfelt.
Engaging memoir by a Chinese author who came to the US as an undocumented child.