Beautiful Country is an intimate memoir chronicling Wang's childhood as an undocumented Chinese immigrant in New York during the 1990s. One thing that struck me as I read was how Wang’s constant fear of deportation wove its way into her everyday life; this is something that, as a privileged white American, I’ve never had to think about. On top of learning a new language and trying to adapt to an entirely new world, Wang had to constantly worry that this new world would be ripped away from her at any moment.

While I wish Wang wrote more about her high school, college, and early adult years, I know this is a memoir and not a full autobiography. The pacing felt a bit off at times, but I still really enjoyed this. It was a tough, sad, and bleak read, but I respect Wang’s vulnerability and strength in reflecting on these moments in order to commit them to paper.

⚠️ CWs: racism, poverty, animal abuse, domestic abuse, abortion

Children are seen but nor heard. Undocumented people live in the shadows of society.

In Beautiful Country Qian Julie Wang shares her story of being an undocumented Chinese immigrant in New York City in the 1990s. Through the eyes of a child we can learn about the suffering and struggle of immigrants and their families to find a place in America where they are rarely made to feel wanted.

This memoir is beautifully written. It moved me as a mother, as a human, as a child of immigrants, and as a teacher. This story should be read by everyone to understand and learn empathy for the trauma children and families suffer as a result of immigration and being undocumented in this country.

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang is a poignant and powerful memoir that is a must-read for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, and is a good fit for readers who appreciate stories about the immigrant experience, family struggles, and the resilience of the human spirit.

This moving memoir by Qian Julie Wang tells the story of her childhood living in poverty as an undocumented immigrant in New York City. At 7, she moved to America with her parents for a better life. In China, her parents were both professors, but in America, since they were undocumented, they had to get jobs in sweatshops and struggled to survive. Qian had a hard time fitting in and found sanctuary in the library.

This memoir depicts a significant aspect of the American immigrant experience. I felt deep empathy for this family as they navigated their challenges. Wang's writing was poignant, captivating, and eloquent.

I think that this memoir was well written, but I wish that it hadn't focused so heavily on her childhood in NY. I get that the title, "Beautiful Country," is the translation of the Chinese word for America, but I can only assume the title was decided after the actual writing. The book focuses so heavily on her awful time as an undocumented immigrant in America, that it just felt like trauma porn. For a memoir, I expect more than just a childhood that ends at the author starting middle school and then wraps up with the move to Canada and her current career being very lightly glossed over. The reader feels sadness and sympathy for the author's childhood, but then is given no chance to celebrate her rise and her current life.

Also, I hope Marilyn lived her best damn life out on the streets.

Qian Julie Wang's "Beautiful Country" is a profoundly moving memoir that offers a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Wang's writing is raw and unflinching as she recounts her journey as an undocumented immigrant from China to the United States. Through her poignant storytelling, Wang invites readers into her world, sharing the struggles, triumphs, and sacrifices that shaped her life.

This is a poignant exploration of identity, belonging, and the pursuit of the American dream. As she navigates the complexities of growing up as an undocumented immigrant in New York City, Wang grapples with questions of self-worth and belonging that will resonate with readers from all walks of life. What sets "Beautiful Country" apart is Wang's ability to infuse her narrative with both heartbreak and hope. Despite the challenges she faces, Wang's resilience and determination shine through, inspiring readers to believe in the possibility of a better tomorrow.

This breathtaking and deeply affecting memoir is sure to leave a lasting impression, and Wang's courage, honesty, and vulnerability make this a must-read for anyone seeking a powerful exploration of the immigrant experience and the universal human longing for belonging and acceptance.

This immigrant memoir broke my heart and made me so grateful for the rough childhood I had. The author's story opened my eyes to a lot of things I hadn't known or realized before.

It's not often that we have an opportunity to see the American way of life through those who risk everything to come to this "beautiful country". The challenges that faced this family were many, the opportunities few, yet they still believed in America. We sometimes forget how lucky we are.

This true story grabbed hold of me. This book was hard to put down. People's greed just astounds me. The reality of life for undocumented immigrants in the U.S is a key theme in the memoir. . The author’s story was compelling. This was a “walk in another person’s shoes” experience for me. Even though I knew beforehand that Ms. Wang would ultimately succeed, I still rooted for her and her parents while reading the book. The end part was an emotional release for me with happy tears. Excellent memoir. Highly recommend this book. thank you to Neutrally, the author and publisher for the opportunity.

This review is based on the first 45% of the memoir. I'm glad that the author told her story, and this is not a reflection of her life, but of the writing.

It is constant whining. Which fair, she's telling the story of her 7? 8? year old self, being taken from a home/country where everyone is like her, and free to roam around, then thrust into a situation where she isn't familiar with the language, and she's constantly made to hide and feel small.

The writing feels like it is trauma porn written for the white gaze, which isn't a story for me.

I usually don't read many memoirs and was pleasantly surprised. The author relates the story of how she came to America with her mother to join her father in New York. Her parents were respected professors in China and were now reduced to menial jobs in order to survive. A new sensation for her was constant hunger. In spite of the hardships, she learns her new language and thrives.

The author writes beautifully and with clarity of purpose. I was particularly struck by the contrast between their life in Maoist China, where her parents were successful, respected professionals who escaped to America to have a better life only to live in virtual squalor and constant struggle to survive. This is not the typical American view of life as it was under the oppressive Maoist regime.

As an animal lover, I hated the way her father treated the poor cat and how the author also came to ultimately reject it too.

The ending seemed rushed, as if she were trying to finish to meet a deadline.

Overall, I am happy she survived and became successful in spite or, or maybe because of, the difficulties.

I always find it difficult to review a memoir as it is someone's lived experience. In Beautiful Country, Wang provides a look at the immigration story of her family. Like so many families, Wang's family moved to America (Mei Guo or The Beautiful Country) to search for a better life. Her parents are forced to work menial jobs is horrible conditions, a complete reversal of their careers as professors in China. The majority of Beautiful Country is focused on Wang's childhood and her early years in America.

This was a highly emotional read for me as my heart broke for Wang and her family. The stories she describes, from the blatant racism her family faced to not having enough to eat were really harrowing. While there are a lot of heartbreaking moments, Wang manages to incorporate hope in every aspect of the memoir. Wang shares her tremendous resilience while growing up and beyond. The final chapter and the author's note really helped round out the story. I really liked Wang's writing style and I thought the writing really helped the story. I would highly recommend this memoir. It's an important read as the conversation around immigration in the United States continues to evolve.

Not all books about poverty, immigration, and the desire to fit in are the same. Beautiful County takes you on a profound journey that makes you look a little longer when waiting for the train, crossing the street, and shopping at the market. This truth and account of the modern immigrant is moving. A beautiful read that will leave a lasting impression that everyone counts. Has our economy, healthcare, and education in the United States grown in the last thirty years? These topics will allow you to form your own opinion through the eyes of Qian.

This was eye opening. It’s so great to have stories about immigrants BY immigrants. This story resonated so much more for me because it was her experience. Seeing the focus on "being American" from her family. How demoralizing it was for her mother. How her dad just lost himself. It was all so sad. It’s also sad to see how shitty Americans can be to people that come here for a better life.

I was judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’d been doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I was charged to read.

Beautiful Country was lyricism captured my attention right away. Wang’s short sentences followed by long meandering ones, made it a harrowing yet delightful read

Congratulations to @qianjuliewang! I don’t think there is another author this year that needs to share their story more. Perhaps it’s her vulnerability in her story and how it resonated with me that I feel deeply this way.

Her memoir spans across the years she and her family lived as undocumented immigrants in New York City. Her parents, professors in China, now are relegated to working in sweatshops and menial jobs. All the while, fear of deportation constantly looms over their household. Her parents typical happy and curious demeanors turn inward and cold. Qian survives through this traumatic time through libraries, books and her undying love for her parents.

I loved her descriptions of growing up in the 90’s and 2000’s— Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, Tamagotchis, and Charlotte’s Web. The sections when Qian described her hunger as a young child was especially hard to read. I wonder how many of these students go unnoticed in a regular classroom.
The fact that she’s where she is now is a testament to her hard work and belief in herself.

This was an emotional read for me— I felt very connected to her young self, either because of our closeness in age, both our immigration stories, our parents’ traumatic experiences, or the fact that she wrote from a child’s keen observations. Her writing worked for me too, descriptive and emotional but not overly complicated or metaphorical. I appreciate this story very much!

Well, this was an exceptional memoir!

It's a gripping narrative that captures the challenges and triumphs of an undocumented family, seen through the eyes of a resilient young girl. A poignant and deeply personal look at the immigrant experience in America. A unique and eye-opening insight into the lives of undocumented immigrants in the United States and their hardships, from working in sweatshops to living in fear of deportation, underscores the importance of understanding and empathy.

You can't help but relate to Qian Julie Wang as she grapples with issues of identity, belonging, and the pursuit of the American dream and empathize with her struggles and victories. She is an unforgettable and powerful protagonist. Her courage, determination, and unwavering love for her family are deeply touching!

Wang is also a great storyteller! The writing is both vivid and engaging!

I can't recommend "Beautiful Country" enough with its universal themes of resilience, hope, and the pursuit of a better life, demonstrating the human capacity to overcome adversity and find light even in the darkest of circumstances. A source of inspiration and a testament to the enduring human spirit and the pursuit of a brighter future.

In this memoir, Qian shares her story about being an undocumented Chinese immigrant and her family's journey from China to America. Overall, I thought the book helped me to see things from a different perspective - how fear, hunger, and secrecy changed how they viewed things that were happening around them. (Ex - their fear of calling 911 for help or even seeking medical care because it may result in them being deported). While a lot of Qian's shared story is heartbreaking, I wish she would have shared a bit more. Why weren't they able to become legal citizens? I ask this question not as a judgment, but as someone who would ask the follow-up question - how can we help immigrant families in their desire to become legal citizens?

This book does allow me to see illegal immigration from a somewhat different perspective, and for that, I am thankful to Qian for sharing her story.

I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.

This was a beautiful debut by author Qian Julie Wang. Her story is a humbling one of a childhood as an undocumented immigrant in New York City. Wang's writing so vividly captures the experience of moving to America through the eyes of a child. The memoir focuses mainly on Wang's childhood (up through sixth grade, if I remember correctly), which is unusual for memoirs in my experience, but in my opinion it does not take away from the narrative at all. I both read and listened to this memoir at the same time, and the author does a really good job bringing this story to life.

A unique memoir told through the eyes of a child about what it's like to be an undocumented immigrant. Emotional and heartfelt - this memoir will move you.