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mudder17 's review for:
Beautiful Country: A Memoir
by Qian Julie Wang, Qian Julie Wang
4.5 stars
This was a book that I could have sat down and read in a day or I could read a little bit every day and reflect. I chose the latter and I think that was the right decision for me. Qian Julie Wang came to America when she was 7, two years after her Baba had already left China in order to make a better life for their family where he didn't have to worry about being taken away by the police for speaking out against the government. The reality is that when she arrived, they had to hide who they were because of the fear of being deported for being undocumented. Thus, her father, who was an English Professor, was now working menial jobs for very little, and her mother, who was a Mathematics Professor worked in sweatshops, often joined by 7-year-old Qian. The extreme racism they experienced, not just by Americans, but also by Cantonese (who looked on Mandarin-speaking Chinese as beneath them) was often appalling, but not exactly surprising. The fear of being discovered kept them in a cage of extreme poverty and changed what had been a very happy marriage and family into one that was often contaminated with fear, anger, and depression. the school she attended for elementary school was not any better as she experienced bullying and taunts from the other students. She dealt with words that constantly tore her down, not just from the students, but from teachers (one in particular who just about accused her of plagiarism because he didn't believe she could write something as amazing as she did), and even from her own father. As you can imagine, she internalized many of these voices, which led to her either lying about things or hiding things, including what must have been a fractured wrist. In the midst of all this, her mother because seriously ill and it took all she could to force herself to call 911 to get help. Through all of this, words and books became her best friend and ultimately, they are probably what saved her and inspired her to reach for her dreams. Her writing is filled with the emotions of her young 7-12-year-old selves, whether it's anger, fear, anxiety, depression, laughter, confidence, etc. Although the writing is occasionally uneven, I thought that this was an amazing book for a debut author and I can tell she has a wonderful relationship with words.
I think this is a book that everyone should read as it helps us to see the perspective of the undocumented. Ultimately, they are as human as anyone else, and they are just trying to create as good a life for themselves and their children, just like those who are citizens. It was extra humbling to see how their experience with Canada was completely different from their initial experience with America. Eventually, she made it back to America to attend law school and she met a Judge who ended up inspiring her and mentoring her as she began her law career and I believe it led to her telling her story. For many years, her initial time in America was something she stomped down and hid not just from the world, but from herself as well. I hope that more people will read this book and perhaps change their minds about the undocumented.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This was a book that I could have sat down and read in a day or I could read a little bit every day and reflect. I chose the latter and I think that was the right decision for me. Qian Julie Wang came to America when she was 7, two years after her Baba had already left China in order to make a better life for their family where he didn't have to worry about being taken away by the police for speaking out against the government. The reality is that when she arrived, they had to hide who they were because of the fear of being deported for being undocumented. Thus, her father, who was an English Professor, was now working menial jobs for very little, and her mother, who was a Mathematics Professor worked in sweatshops, often joined by 7-year-old Qian. The extreme racism they experienced, not just by Americans, but also by Cantonese (who looked on Mandarin-speaking Chinese as beneath them) was often appalling, but not exactly surprising. The fear of being discovered kept them in a cage of extreme poverty and changed what had been a very happy marriage and family into one that was often contaminated with fear, anger, and depression. the school she attended for elementary school was not any better as she experienced bullying and taunts from the other students. She dealt with words that constantly tore her down, not just from the students, but from teachers (one in particular who just about accused her of plagiarism because he didn't believe she could write something as amazing as she did), and even from her own father. As you can imagine, she internalized many of these voices, which led to her either lying about things or hiding things, including what must have been a fractured wrist. In the midst of all this, her mother because seriously ill and it took all she could to force herself to call 911 to get help. Through all of this, words and books became her best friend and ultimately, they are probably what saved her and inspired her to reach for her dreams. Her writing is filled with the emotions of her young 7-12-year-old selves, whether it's anger, fear, anxiety, depression, laughter, confidence, etc. Although the writing is occasionally uneven, I thought that this was an amazing book for a debut author and I can tell she has a wonderful relationship with words.
I think this is a book that everyone should read as it helps us to see the perspective of the undocumented. Ultimately, they are as human as anyone else, and they are just trying to create as good a life for themselves and their children, just like those who are citizens. It was extra humbling to see how their experience with Canada was completely different from their initial experience with America. Eventually, she made it back to America to attend law school and she met a Judge who ended up inspiring her and mentoring her as she began her law career and I believe it led to her telling her story. For many years, her initial time in America was something she stomped down and hid not just from the world, but from herself as well. I hope that more people will read this book and perhaps change their minds about the undocumented.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.