Reviews with content warning for Grief - Beautiful Country

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

8 reviews

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

it always feels so odd to me, in some way, to talk about and rate memoirs because its somebodys life that youre, in essence, putting a number value on, so rather than try and do that ill just say that i loved the way Qian spoke about her life in the most intimate way that somebody can do; giving us the bad times, the good times, the scary times, and the times that maybe didnt paint her in the best light.

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erebus53's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

I really don't know if I would have been able to manage this memoire without listening to the Audiobook, deftly narrated by the author. Being self-narrated it dodged a lot of messy casting issues such as having a reader who could not pronounce Chinese. I'm thankful for that.

Beautiful Country is a direct translation of the Chinese term for USA 美国 - Mĕiguó . Whenever I hear " Mĕiguó " spoken, I picture the characters in my mind. A year working at a Chinese Newspaper will do that to a nerdy lass who likes languages. I have always been struck by how ironic the name is. The memoire written is an awakening from a childhood where the author needs to protect herself over and again, from the perils of being an "illegal" migrant. When any false word could get you deported, you learn to say what people want to hear.

From sweat shops, and bigoted teachers, buying the cheapest food possible, and making do with forgaed treasures, this is a candid story of poverty, Racism, and survival. I found the descriptions reminded me of many things that have been part of my life, and drew stark contrast between some of my own experiences as a White New Zealander ( Pākeha ) living in a country with social security.

I expect that some of this recounting may be affronting to those who are unaware of the type of life that oppressed people can easily fall into. The story is that of someone who has survived, but doesn't really feel as saccharine as a lot of inspiration stories can be.

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emzireads's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

5.0

“Just because it doesn’t affect you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care.” I have been struggling to absorb everything that has been going on in the world, especially with the most recent news about Ukraine. Personally, I know when I’m overwhelmed, I tend to hide out or shut down. So I wasn’t as vocal at work or online through my posts. I picked this memoir up that was on my shelf for a while initially as a distraction and found myself feeling an ocean of emotions. Qian delivers a poignant snapshot of her life as her parents make one of the toughest decisions of their lives. The struggles her and her family went through to assimilate and remain in the U.S are genuine occurrences for millions of people who immigrated away from the only home they know. If you are able to, say I love you to those that are still in your life. Qian’s love for her family may not have been spoken in words but the actions spoke louder, the strong connection between mother and daughter in a land that didn’t seem welcoming to those who didn’t fit the status quo. Being an Asian immigrant is not an experience I’m familiar with personally but we need more #ownvoices to show us the reality that is everyday life.

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