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4.25 AVERAGE
4.25 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This is exceptional. I look forward to reading more from this author.
While I can appreciate the authors tenacity and courage as she relays her childhood experience as an undocumented immigrant in NYC, this memoir lacks the perspective of opportunity and gratitude. I also struggled with the disjointed telling. The book is like a prism of childhood thoughts and feelings reflected in and still playing a huge role in adulthood. One of my most powerful memories of early childhood is of my kindergarten teacher. I thought she lived in her filing cabinet like ‘Rosie’ the robot maid from the Jetsons. In other words, I’m not sure the recollections and perspective of early childhood are always completely accurate or a good basis for a thoughtful memoir retelling the immigrant experience.
Just prior to this book, I read “The Last Green Valley”, also a story of displacement and immigration, but it was difficult to not compare the negative tone in “Beautiful Country” with the optimism and gratitude in “The Last Green Valley” despite the actual legitimate atrocities they witnessed and experienced in the latter book.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe immigration to the US should be far easier than it is currently. I feel strongly that immigrants should be welcomed and supported. But this book focuses only on the negative and doesn’t even acknowledge or discuss the fact that the author ends up attending Yale law school and clerks for the Supreme court and is a partner at a law firm!!! If hers isn’t an immigration success story, who’s would be?!? All of the opportunities available in the US were available to her and she took them. That is an amazing success story! I want to hear about the hard parts of peoples lives. I want to be empathetic and learn from their experiences. I want to change immigration laws so children do not have to suffer from hunger and fear of being deported. But I also want to hear of the successes. Ultimately this book felt disingenuous to me because it glossed over the tremendous miracles in her story.
Just prior to this book, I read “The Last Green Valley”, also a story of displacement and immigration, but it was difficult to not compare the negative tone in “Beautiful Country” with the optimism and gratitude in “The Last Green Valley” despite the actual legitimate atrocities they witnessed and experienced in the latter book.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe immigration to the US should be far easier than it is currently. I feel strongly that immigrants should be welcomed and supported. But this book focuses only on the negative and doesn’t even acknowledge or discuss the fact that the author ends up attending Yale law school and clerks for the Supreme court and is a partner at a law firm!!! If hers isn’t an immigration success story, who’s would be?!? All of the opportunities available in the US were available to her and she took them. That is an amazing success story! I want to hear about the hard parts of peoples lives. I want to be empathetic and learn from their experiences. I want to change immigration laws so children do not have to suffer from hunger and fear of being deported. But I also want to hear of the successes. Ultimately this book felt disingenuous to me because it glossed over the tremendous miracles in her story.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced