Beautiful Country: A Memoir of an Undocumented Childhood

The moving story of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the world. Inhabiting her childhood perspective with exquisite lyric clarity and unforgettable charm and strength, Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the sh...show more

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320 pages

Average rating: 7.89

142 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

moushuru
Feb 01, 2024
7/10 stars
I found Beautiful Country when attempting to find stories similar to that of my immigrant family’s story; in pursuit of improving my personal narrative skills. I enjoyed this read, particularly with how people were written and how the themes in this memoir were executed. Characters evolved, were easy to relate to, and were multidimensional. The themes present are relevant in today’s society/political climate, and are conveyed successfully throu...read more
dauhns_booklist
Jul 26, 2023
10/10 stars
Wow, the range of emotions this book had me feeling! It broke my heart over and over again, and I had SO many thoughts.

I think what broke my heart the most was how much young Qian internalized guilt for things that were completely out of her control, things that most children would never even have to think about. Whenever anything bad happened to her family, she immediately felt guilty and blamed herself. I just wanted to hug her and tell her it ...read more
Nusrat
Mar 31, 2023
7/10 stars
Beautifully written with a pinch of humour and loads of emotional insights. A story of a little girl, an undocumented child surviving through all the poverty, but who is extremely smart, brave and resilient. A must read
RoseBaptist
Jan 31, 2023
9/10 stars
My favorite book read in 2022. Qian’s perspective of a Chinese immigrant and navigating America is heart wrenching, inspiring, and eye opening. Her curiosity and love of books, animals, and her ma ma is key to her survival. Highly recommend this book if you are looking for an uplifting and powerful story.

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