Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood
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- Create Date：2021-09-20 06:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Qian Julie Wang
- ISBN：024151472X
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Summary
A SCORCHING， POWERFUL NEW MEMOIR OF AN UNDOCUMENTED CHILDHOOD
'Hunger was a constant， reliable friend in Mei Guo。 She came second only to loneliness。'
When 7-year old Qian moves to Mei Guo with her mother she doesn't know what to expect from the place， otherwise known as America， that translates to 'Beautiful Country'。 In China she was the daughter of Professors， a popular student leading a comfortable middle-class life。 In America she simply does not exist。
This is the story of a childhood spent in extreme poverty as an undocumented Chinese immigrant in Brooklyn。 From manual labour in a sushi factory to learning English in elementary school， the days spent scavenging the neighbourhood for furniture to emergency treatment in hospital， Qian Julie Wang's memoir is an unforgettable account of what it means to live under the perpetual threat of deportation， where being seen is an act of danger。 Told from a child's perspective， in a voice that is intimate， poignant and startlingly lyrical， Beautiful Country is the story of a girl who learns to first live - and then escape - an invisible life。
'Hunger was a constant， reliable friend in Mei Guo。 She came second only to loneliness。'
When 7-year old Qian moves to Mei Guo with her mother she doesn't know what to expect from the place， otherwise known as America， that translates to 'Beautiful Country'。 In China she was the daughter of Professors， a popular student leading a comfortable middle-class life。 In America she simply does not exist。
This is the story of a childhood spent in extreme poverty as an undocumented Chinese immigrant in Brooklyn。 From manual labour in a sushi factory to learning English in elementary school， the days spent scavenging the neighbourhood for furniture to emergency treatment in hospital， Qian Julie Wang's memoir is an unforgettable account of what it means to live under the perpetual threat of deportation， where being seen is an act of danger。 Told from a child's perspective， in a voice that is intimate， poignant and startlingly lyrical， Beautiful Country is the story of a girl who learns to first live - and then escape - an invisible life。
Reviews
KateT16
，
Beautiful Country is a moving， must-read， vivid account of Qian Julie Wang's immigration experience as told to the readers by the author's young self （ages 5-11， then jumps to adulthood at the very end）。 The heartbreaking story describes in detail the losses she suffered to come to the USA from China: loss of family （grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins）， loss of friends， loss of sense of belonging and home。 She also details the losses she experienced once she was here: her loss of confidence due t Beautiful Country is a moving， must-read， vivid account of Qian Julie Wang's immigration experience as told to the readers by the author's young self （ages 5-11， then jumps to adulthood at the very end）。 The heartbreaking story describes in detail the losses she suffered to come to the USA from China: loss of family （grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins）， loss of friends， loss of sense of belonging and home。 She also details the losses she experienced once she was here: her loss of confidence due to criticism from her parents， teachers and other influential adults， her loss of worthiness when she feels dirty， poor， ugly， fat or smelly， her loss of sense of self when she thinks she is only good for bringing good "luck" or being a mini-therapist to her mother， and her loss of beloved possessions， especially her pet cat due to cultural differences and superstitions。 The book plainly shows what most US-born citizens take for granted and what most do not understand when they see others who are trying to become citizens as they seek better lives for themselves and their future families。 It is truly tragic that more isn't done to support those who are willing and able to contribute to society， to become "legal" as they seek the difficult road to citizenship。 Qian's parents were professors of math and literature in China， but here， they and their 7 year old daughter had to work in sweatshops just to survive another day。 There should be a path for professionals to continue their work once here in the USA。 I had a friend from Vietnam， whose father was a medical doctor in his country， but unable to easily translate that in to a license to practice here in the USA， so he had to take jobs that were far below his education and professional levels to support his family here。 Although I believe this is an important read and intimate view into the lives many immigrants face as they try to become citizens of the USA， I did find at times that the book was difficult to read because although it was vivid and detailed， sometimes it was unnecessarily so， often repetitive or including details that didn't add and often detracted from the story （too many poop/toilet jokes/detailed stories and too many analogies that don't seem to fit the situation）。 It was also at times too simplistic as it was told from the viewpoint of mostly from her 5-11 year old self， with an ending that really jumped to her present life， with only a couple paragraphs minimally describing her journey from Canada （where she and her parents moved to during her 6th grade year） back to the USA。 I was left wondering WHY she decided to move back to the USA， when from her story， it seemed that the welcoming Canada felt more like "home" as than the "beautiful country" （USA） who never embraced her family and her ancestral home of China felt more like "home" because of the love and family ties that remained。 The latter chapters could have focused a bit more on the details of how she was accepted into an elite college and Harvard law school， the challenges she found coming back and finding work and creating a life in this "beautiful" but sometimes ugly country for those attempting to call it "home"， the USA。 。。。more
Julie
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A beautiful memoir， sad， richly told。
Haley Rae
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A total must read。 A very insightful piece of work。
Maura
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Book Review: Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang Doubleday， September 7， 2021 publicationBeautiful Country already has been hailed as a “new classic” memoir。 The author， Qian Julie Wang， said that she drew a lot of inspiration from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings （Wang uses a quote by Angelou as her epigraph） and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes。 I would add that Beautiful Country harkens to Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior with its “autobiographical accuracy， cultural auth Book Review: Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang Doubleday， September 7， 2021 publicationBeautiful Country already has been hailed as a “new classic” memoir。 The author， Qian Julie Wang， said that she drew a lot of inspiration from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings （Wang uses a quote by Angelou as her epigraph） and Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes。 I would add that Beautiful Country harkens to Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior with its “autobiographical accuracy， cultural authenticity， and ethnic representation。” *Yuan Shu， Director of Asian Studies， Texas Tech University。 Both Kingston’s and Wang’s are memoirs of a Chinese girlhood。 All four are memoirs of childhood trauma。 On July 29， 1994， Qian Qian （as she was known as a girl） was seven years， five days old when she and her mother （Ma Ma） arrived from China to join her father （Ba Ba） in Brooklyn， New York。 Ba Ba had left on a visitor’s visa two years earlier for the United States or “Mei Gou， a name that translated literally into ‘Beautiful Country…’” Qian Julie Wang was born and raised in Shijiazhuang， China。 Both her parents were successful， and Qian Qian， an only child， had a relatively happy early childhood。 Her father was an English professor， and her mother was a math professor who had published two textbooks on computer science in 1993 at the age of thirty-one。 Yet China has a long memory， and because her father’s elder teenage brother had signed his name to an essay criticizing Mao Zedong in 1966， the Wang’s never managed to regain their family name’s honor or status。For the next five years Qian Julie and her parents lived with abject poverty， in actual rat trap， roach-infested housing。 They were not “food challenged，” they were hungry every day。 Depending on the season， their home was either too hot or too cold。 They had few clothes， and they furnished their home with items they scavenged from garbage on the street。 They did not have money for medical care and dental visits。Ba Ba initially worked as an unskilled laborer。 Ma Ma’s first job was at a sweatshop， sewing labels on the seam of shirts for twelve-hour shifts for three cents a piece。 Qian Qian worked alongside her mother that summer， holding scissors which were much too large and heavy for her child’s hand “to cut all the loose strings dangling off the seams。”Her parents inoculated Qian Qian with the profound importance of keeping their truth a secret。 No one could know they were undocumented。 People of other races， especially white people， were not to be trusted。 “Just remember this， Qian Qian: we are safe only with our own kind。” People in authority， especially police officers， were the people to be most distrusted。 Qian Qian began second grade that September without knowing English， and with the constant presence of fear， shame， humiliation， and worry。 Her parents were so caught up in their own trauma that they did not and could not protect Qian Qian in ways a parent should。 Although they loved their daughter， they traumatized her too。 She felt responsible for their safety and happiness。When a person experiences trauma， particularly multiple and/or extended， ongoing trauma，and specifically childhood trauma， they have trauma responses， “fight， flight or freeze。” “Fight” means becoming aggressive （or fighting back）。 “Flight” means fleeing the situation。 And “freeze” means the person is unable to do anything at all。 There is a fourth response which childhood trauma creates: the fawn response。 In order to avoid more trauma， children learn to please their abuser。 “In other words， they preemptively attempt to appease the abuser by agreeing， answering what they know the parent wants to hear， or by ignoring their personal feelings and desires and by doing anything and everything to prevent the abuse。 Over time， this fawn response becomes a pattern。” Elizabeth Mahaney， LMHC， MFT， Ph。DQian Julie Wang employed all four trauma responses to survive her childhood。 She also used her incredible intellect， her strong will， her passion for books and language， her love and loyalty to her parents， her imagination， her sense of humor and her ambition as the tools to rise above her childhood circumstances。 As an adult， Qian has achieved the “American dream。” I think she wrote this book and revealed her “secrets” so that we could see the cost of all that pain and suffering。 One of the gifts which trauma robs from people is a voice。 Qian Julia Wang has an extremely powerful voice。 Such is her gift for storytelling and her ability to share her childhood mind with intricate detail， that Qian allows the reader to accompany her through her childhood。 I read this book twice in two days: the first time to find out what happens to Qian Julie， and the second just to read her exquisite prose。I give Beautiful Country my highest recommendation。 Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday for allowing me to read an advance ebook reader’s copy。“I document these stories for myself and my family， and not the least my uncle， our innominate hero。 I write this also for Americans and immigrants everywhere。 The heartbreak of one immigrant is never that far from that of another。 Most of all， though， I put these stories down for this country’s forgotten children， past and present， who grow up cloaked in fear， desolation， and the belief that their very existence is wrong， their very being illegal。 I have been unfathomably lucky。 But I dream of a day when being recognized as human requires no luck--when it is a right， not a privilege。 And I dream of a day when each and every one of us will have no reason to fear stepping out of the shadows。” --Qian Julie Wang， Beautiful Country 。。。more
Winnie ✨
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First and foremost， this book's story premise intrigued me because as a child of immigrated parents， I was curious and wanted to learn more about the journey of immigrants。 Beautiful Country: A Memoir brings a raw， honest， heartbreaking but also uplifting story as it tackles down many struggles that the author and her family face and overcome with time and hardwork。 It was honestly not an easy read for me but I can definitely say that it made me feel extra grateful for what I currently have in m First and foremost， this book's story premise intrigued me because as a child of immigrated parents， I was curious and wanted to learn more about the journey of immigrants。 Beautiful Country: A Memoir brings a raw， honest， heartbreaking but also uplifting story as it tackles down many struggles that the author and her family face and overcome with time and hardwork。 It was honestly not an easy read for me but I can definitely say that it made me feel extra grateful for what I currently have in my life。 I believe everyone should read this at least once in their life :）Note: I received a physical copy by winning in a Goodreads giveaway！ Thank you！ 。。。more
Jennie Lower
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So so sad。 The way America treated/treats non-Anglo immigrants fills me with despair。 Again， I am feeling so grateful for the food in my home， the clothes in my closet， the warmth of my home， never worrying about being sent back to a place that is somehow worse than the awfulness of the current situation。 There were many detailed stories from her childhood but the ending wrapped everything up so fast。 I'm interested to know more about what happened once she moved back to New York as an adult。 So so sad。 The way America treated/treats non-Anglo immigrants fills me with despair。 Again， I am feeling so grateful for the food in my home， the clothes in my closet， the warmth of my home， never worrying about being sent back to a place that is somehow worse than the awfulness of the current situation。 There were many detailed stories from her childhood but the ending wrapped everything up so fast。 I'm interested to know more about what happened once she moved back to New York as an adult。 。。。more
Rebecca 📚 Rubenstein
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Ten Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🇨🇳🇺🇸🍁🇺🇸我很喜欢这本书！💔♥️
Lennie Law
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I wanted to cry for Qian and her family at so many points during their journey- but I held back the tears， inspired by the strength that they had instead。 Beautifully told， touched the heart and as a first-generation Malaysian-Chinese New Zealander， it reminded me of how much my parents sacrificed and endured by having the bravery to call another country home ❤️
Marie Braz
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This gorgeous story of family and immigration is heartbreaking and brave and sometimes relatable。 The audio by the author was spectacular。
Michele
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An immigration story thru the eyes of a young child。
Susan
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Every American （born here and always lived here） needs to read a few immigration stories。 How frightening it must be to live where you don't know the language or understand the customs！ Add to that being undocumented and knowing anyone in uniform is there to deport you。 If you are only seven and you see that your parents are afraid of just about everything， how do you cope？ Your parents were well-esteemed at home; here they are scum。 What a way to start your life in this Beautiful Country！ Every American （born here and always lived here） needs to read a few immigration stories。 How frightening it must be to live where you don't know the language or understand the customs！ Add to that being undocumented and knowing anyone in uniform is there to deport you。 If you are only seven and you see that your parents are afraid of just about everything， how do you cope？ Your parents were well-esteemed at home; here they are scum。 What a way to start your life in this Beautiful Country！ 。。。more
Joyce Schiff
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Heart wrenching revelation of the experience s of immigrants in America。。。。。。。。。。
Maureen
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Invisible child revealedWe so easily avoid meeting and dealing with people who are struggling。 How much lighter would their burden be if we took time to notice their hardship and offer friendship。
emma
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Incredibly powerful， moving and emotional。 Wang writes with such control and strength when recounting her most traumatic childhood memories， looking back on them as an adult makes them even more difficult to read about。 Her writing style was lyrical and heartbreaking all at once， I found myself easily swept away in this childhood that wasn't mine yet somehow mirrored my own in bits and pieces， being a child and moving to a different country at a young age as well。 I found myself moved beyond wor Incredibly powerful， moving and emotional。 Wang writes with such control and strength when recounting her most traumatic childhood memories， looking back on them as an adult makes them even more difficult to read about。 Her writing style was lyrical and heartbreaking all at once， I found myself easily swept away in this childhood that wasn't mine yet somehow mirrored my own in bits and pieces， being a child and moving to a different country at a young age as well。 I found myself moved beyond words by the end of it， I was left in stunned silence at the masterpiece I had just read。 Absolutely a must read， I know it'll stay with me for a long time。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 #BeautifulCountry #NetGalley。 All opinions are my own 。。。more
megan
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idk whether to give this 4 or 5 stars but it's at least a strong 4。5it made me reflect， feel grateful towards my parents， and really rethink my privilege loli can definitely see parallels between my life and qian's but it also showed me how my life could've been so different and that i rly gotta learn to appreciate what i have idk whether to give this 4 or 5 stars but it's at least a strong 4。5it made me reflect， feel grateful towards my parents， and really rethink my privilege loli can definitely see parallels between my life and qian's but it also showed me how my life could've been so different and that i rly gotta learn to appreciate what i have 。。。more
Nelda Brangwin
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Wow！ This book packs a punch！ I was struck by a comment made in the introduction in which the author commented that she saw the hypocrisy of Obama’s administrations。 While supporting the DREAM Act， the administration also significantly increased the number of deportations。 Wang ably tells the harrowing story of growing up in New York City。 Only her father had a green card， but to survive， her mother needed to work。 With no money for babysitters， Wang often went with her mother to these unsavory Wow！ This book packs a punch！ I was struck by a comment made in the introduction in which the author commented that she saw the hypocrisy of Obama’s administrations。 While supporting the DREAM Act， the administration also significantly increased the number of deportations。 Wang ably tells the harrowing story of growing up in New York City。 Only her father had a green card， but to survive， her mother needed to work。 With no money for babysitters， Wang often went with her mother to these unsavory jobs。 Often hungry， Qian would share her tiny bit of food with a kitten she befriended。 When her father drove the kitten away blaming the family’s misfortunes on the calico cat， she had no friends。 By lying and bravado， Qian made it through the mishmash of schools she attended。 With grit and determination， she got herself enrolled in one of the city’s top schools。 But luck remains elusive， until her mother relocates them to Toronto Canada。 From the minute they arrived at the US-Canadian border and went through immigration， things began to look up for the family。 They were no longer fearful of being arrested and forced to return to China。 Now I understand her comment about the Obama administration。 。。。more
Sarah
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Wow， talk about a journey！
Sarah Rendon
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there’s a lot to be learned from this book。 i feel grateful i got to read it
Bettys Book Club
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Ugly memoir。。。I think reading memoirs is an amazing way to develop empathy and learn about different cultures and life experiences。 Crying in H Mart and Aftershocks are two prime examples of excellent memoirs that will teach you about culture through the lens of young women。I was hoping Beautiful Country would bring the same level of insight， sadness and reflection， but unfortunately it was a huge miss for me。 Here are my critiques:Wang only writes about her life until she’s in the sixth grade。 Ugly memoir。。。I think reading memoirs is an amazing way to develop empathy and learn about different cultures and life experiences。 Crying in H Mart and Aftershocks are two prime examples of excellent memoirs that will teach you about culture through the lens of young women。I was hoping Beautiful Country would bring the same level of insight， sadness and reflection， but unfortunately it was a huge miss for me。 Here are my critiques:Wang only writes about her life until she’s in the sixth grade。 The last chapter is an insanely quick summary of her life after she was a tween。 I’m sorry but a memoir doesn’t end at 12 years-old。It’s a lot of the same sad story。 Her parents moved from China to NYC when Wang was very young and the majority of her childhood recount is working in sweatshops， starving and reading books in the bathroom。 While it is a heartbreaking story it doesn’t really evolve out of a few narratives。 Half of the book is about how Wang’s parents didn’t feed her properly and her dreaming about the food she would like to eat。At the end of the novel， and in Wang’s tweens， they move to Canada because they had enough of how the U。S。 treated undocument immigrants。 Canada welcomes them with open arms and Wang just glosses over this。 There is no detail of her time here。 She just focused the whole book on her negative experiences in NYC。Wang does become a successful lawyer but you wouldn’t know it because she doesn’t write it！ I had to find out in an interview AND she moved back to NYC！ This annoys me to no end being a Canadian， so many people （primarily in entertainment） dump Canada for its sexier neighbour。I wanted to hear her success story， whether she attributes her life now to America， Canada or even herself。 I want the full story and I felt cheated by the end of this。 It’s definitely a book that could spark some interesting book club conversations because you can’t avoid discussing U。S。 immigration。 。。。more
Trudy
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I wish I had been able to read this book years ago when I was teaching。 The voice of child-Julie is delightful and heartbreaking。 I kept wanting to tell her as she struggled to find self worth， that she would be okay。 She had two parents who loved her， despite their different approaches to their circumstances。 She had a home in China with grandparents who doted on her， despite the fact that she never saw them for a long while after the family moved to "beautiful country。" And although externally I wish I had been able to read this book years ago when I was teaching。 The voice of child-Julie is delightful and heartbreaking。 I kept wanting to tell her as she struggled to find self worth， that she would be okay。 She had two parents who loved her， despite their different approaches to their circumstances。 She had a home in China with grandparents who doted on her， despite the fact that she never saw them for a long while after the family moved to "beautiful country。" And although externally- in school especially- she was shy， who true spirit was fierce。 What an insight into the mind of a young immigrant child。 Noone should feel "less than！" I'd like to hear more about her Canada years。 。。。more
Natalie Johnson
，
Throughout the book， I thought I would give it 4 stars。 Very， very good。 However， as I approached the end， I was just so struck by how meaningful it was to read a memoir of a child。 Highly recommend。
Chana
，
This was a beautifully written memoir that also was painful to read because of the trauma she describes in so many different ways。 But so worth it， I couldn’t put it down and literally read it in hours while traveling。 **Thank you to Doubleday and Penguin Randomhouse for this Goodreads Giveaway bound galley
Melissa
，
This book is a coming of age book for Chinese American Qian Wang。 As an undocumented citizen growing up she faced adversity and challenges。 Once an adult and now an American citizen the author sheds light on many issues facing undocumented peoples in the country。 Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book。
Cheryl
，
Eye opening read about what it was like to live as an undocumented child in New York City in the 1990s。 As a 7 year old， Qian comes to America from China where her parents were university professors。 In America they live in secrecy and poverty to stay under the radar。 Qian’s story resonated with me。 She was born the same year as my youngest daughter and the references to the books she read as she spent hours in public library， the Polly pockets she discovered in the trash， the tamigouchie her fa Eye opening read about what it was like to live as an undocumented child in New York City in the 1990s。 As a 7 year old， Qian comes to America from China where her parents were university professors。 In America they live in secrecy and poverty to stay under the radar。 Qian’s story resonated with me。 She was born the same year as my youngest daughter and the references to the books she read as she spent hours in public library， the Polly pockets she discovered in the trash， the tamigouchie her father bought with grocery money all took me back to those years。 More importantly though， it is a very honest， vulnerable， superbly written memoir of a child’s first years in America and how against all odds she was determined to succeed and live a better life。 Definitely recommend。 。。。more
Virginia
，
This is a beautifully written memoir of Qian's childhood in the Beautiful Country， America， after her family fled China under Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution。 It's a difficult read， as all stories of extreme poverty are。 Seeing it through a child's eyes doesn't make it easier。 There are bright spots， and， while it basically ends while she is still in her childhood， we do see where she ends up later in life。 There are some stories that should remind us to be careful with our words and attitude This is a beautifully written memoir of Qian's childhood in the Beautiful Country， America， after her family fled China under Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution。 It's a difficult read， as all stories of extreme poverty are。 Seeing it through a child's eyes doesn't make it easier。 There are bright spots， and， while it basically ends while she is still in her childhood， we do see where she ends up later in life。 There are some stories that should remind us to be careful with our words and attitudes; children often live down to the expectations you are setting for them。 Fortunately， the author was tenacious and resilient to live up to her own expectations。Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy。 Publish date September 7， 2021。 This is also a Book of the Month Club selection。 。。。more
Debbie
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A heartbreaking look into the world of undocumented people in this country。 A wonderful debut novel for an exceptional writer。
Roger Smitter
，
This self-bio uses many of the traditional themes about people from other countries coming to the United States。 It’s a theme in books that goes back a 150 years。 This book makes the story line somewhat different， beginning with the story told by the person who came to the US。 And she was from China。 The story line focuses on a small number of years for the young girls coming to the US。 Early pieces have some good passages of how the parents learn to deal with children who are adjusting to a new This self-bio uses many of the traditional themes about people from other countries coming to the United States。 It’s a theme in books that goes back a 150 years。 This book makes the story line somewhat different， beginning with the story told by the person who came to the US。 And she was from China。 The story line focuses on a small number of years for the young girls coming to the US。 Early pieces have some good passages of how the parents learn to deal with children who are adjusting to a new country， especially in the school systems。 There’s a number of moving parts in this bio。 This may be the first of a few steps to reside this theme in our country。 。。。more
Esta Montano
，
"The Chinese refer to being undocumented colloquially as "hei": being in the dark， being blacked out。"Beautiful Country is a piercing memoir about the experiences of Qian， who as a young child， along with her mother， joins her father in New York City to try to make a new life。 From the very beginning， Qian's father， embittered from his two years alone in the US as an undocumented immigrant， perpetually reminds his daughter to trust no one， and to preface her conversations by telling people that "The Chinese refer to being undocumented colloquially as "hei": being in the dark， being blacked out。"Beautiful Country is a piercing memoir about the experiences of Qian， who as a young child， along with her mother， joins her father in New York City to try to make a new life。 From the very beginning， Qian's father， embittered from his two years alone in the US as an undocumented immigrant， perpetually reminds his daughter to trust no one， and to preface her conversations by telling people that she was born here， that she has always lived here。 Sadly， he admits to his little girl that while he had been a full man in China， he no longer was one in their adopted home。 The family fears that authorities will pick them up at any moment， and this terror is palpable thoroughout the memoir。Qian's life is marred by extreme poverty and insecurity。 Hunger was her natural state， and her feelings of inadequacy and fear were constant companions。 She developed an anxiety disorder， which caused her get a queasy stomach followed by vomiting， and she eventually began to tell her friends lies about who she was - including telling them that she was half white。 One of Qian's most heartbreaking experiences included being the parentified child of her mother， who although a professional in China， was now relegated to sweat shops and other back breaking work。 For lack of child care， and in solidarity with her mother， Qian accompanies her to her work， understanding all too young how injustices are visited upon undocumented people。 School is another place where Qian suffers at the hands of white teachers， especially Mr。 Kane， who believes himself to be the white savior who will shame Qian into behaving as he suggests。 Despite the fact that Qian a self-taught and voracious reader， Mr。 Kane works to unravel her self esteem in an ongoing manner。 （Sadly， these teachers are still out there）。As a former teacher of immigrant students， there is so much in this book that resonated for me。 It is a heartbreaking but necessary read， in many ways reminiscent of Girl in Translation。#netgalley 。。。more
Zuly
，
Really found this memoir satisfying！ Against the odds of a very shaky start in America， the author works her way to citizenship， Harvard Law School， and success， finding time to write her memoir on her bus commute to and from work。 China， USA， Canada
N
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