A review by thebookwormkatie
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced
 
Thank you to @netgalley and @doubleday books for an advanced readers copy of this memoir. 
 
Part of me wanted to hold off on reviewing this simply because I’m still digesting it, but the other half of me decided I will probably continue to think about it for a while. 
 
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang pulls the reader into the life of seven-year-old Qian, an undocumented child living in New York City. I think what made this memoir powerful was reading about her life through the eyes of a child; seeing how America appeared to Qian, how her parents interacted with one another, how impactful their words and actions were on Qian, and especially Qian’s experience in school. The educator in me was heartbroken at many of the experiences Qian had in school. The human in me was heartbroken at many of Qian’s experiences in life. 
 
I really enjoy reading memoirs because I love having a glimpse into other people’s lives and experiences. This memoir was no different. I found myself longing to read more about Qian’s life at the end of the book. It was heartbreaking, educating, and extremely vulnerable. I would recommend this memoir not only if you like memoirs, but simply to allow yourself the opportunity to learn from someone else’s perspective and experience. 
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