nancyadelman 's review for:

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

4.0

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This is a memoir of Qian Wang's childhood to about sixth grade. Qian's family immigrated to the United States illegally when she was seven. They lived in a single family house they shared with other families and worked in sweatshops for pennies, saving every precious cent. Qian recounts her life of poverty, working alongside her mother trimming threads off of shirts at the sweatshop and her shame when she can only afford to give a classmate a pencil for a Christmas gift exchange. She writes about her ever-present fears that someone will notice them and turn her family in to be deported: a police officer, a teacher, a doctor. All of the things that I took for granted as a child growing up in America as a citizen, she and her parents had to negotiate and work for. This was a humbling book to read, and a voice not often heard in poverty stories. There was a surprising scene of animal abuse; a human vs. cat episode that really shocked me. Aside from that part, I really enjoyed reading this book. I am giving it four stars.