Beautiful Country: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Memoir of an Undocumented Childhood

A beautifully rendered book. It brought both laughter and tears. It effectively and movingly conveys the experiences of Asian immigrants that will shock, sadden, and amuse you too.

Definitely one of the best memoirs I have read. My heart goes out to the struggles and very poor treatment her family was subjected to when they first came to the U.S. Unfortunately, the trauma that resulted from it impacted their lives for decades after. Hiding their past from others, changing their names, and fighting immigration left an empty hole in their hearts and a feeling of not belonging. Qian is slowly making peace with her past now. I pray she finds happiness and contentment so she can move on and enjoy the rest of her life.

Qian qian, a person of intelligence, wit, honesty and deep insight - the author - wrote a memoir I will long remember. At times terribly painful, often humorous, but never failing to enlighten the reader about the unique suffering of the undocumented, hungry and terrifying life of many immigrants. A remarkable story that I am so glad Wang chose to write. Thank you!

When I picked this book it was because I wanted to learn about other cultures. I wasn't sure if I'd like it but something told me that I would and boy did I ever. I often compared how I grew up as a dark skin black girl to that of Qian's. Being different is what I could relate to but it also showed me how some immigrants are ignored and treated especially if you're illegal. It was very eye opening. Qian dealt with things as a child that I even as a grownup will never know. It brought back fond memories of feeling at home in libraries and devouring the Sweet Valley High books as I too kept my nose in a book to escape. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked looking up how to properly say Qian along with translating the phrases not in English. I will be looking forward to her next creation.

Wang tells the harrowing story of her coming to the United States from China in 1994 at age 7 with her mother. Her father was already in the US, leaving during China's Cultural Revolution. Because their visas expired, they lived in the shadows in squalor and constant fear of being arrested and deported. Wang was told to say that she was born in the US if ever asked. Though professionals in China, the adults worked in low-paying jobs in terrible conditions, sometimes taking Wang with them. My heart broke again and again for this family and this little girl, who was placed in a special ed classroom because of the language barrier and basically ignored. She taught herself to read using the picture books in the room. She succeeded in school and developed friendships there, which only amplified how different she was from her schoolmates. Many times, she was forced to be the adult in the room, when her mother became deathly ill, when her parents fought, when she had to find her way in an entirely different culture all alone. When she expressed her dream of becoming a lawyer to help immigrants, NO ONE--no parent, friend, teacher, or stranger--encouraged her. Yet, she did it. Her intelligence, scrappiness, and incredible inner strength helped her through. I hope Wang writes a sequel, so we get more detail about her college and early professional life, as well as the lives of her parents.