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

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 through the perspective of a child (very, very challenging in writing). My only gripe with the book was in its structure and organization, as the flow of events could feel hard to keep up with at times. The separation of events felt isolated at times and didn’t always contribute to the whole of the story. I have recommended this read as inspiration to any first generation people wanting to also share their stories, for the storytelling skills Qian Julie Wang so vividly demonstrates. TLDR; It offers a compelling, relatable narrative on immigration, skillfully told through a child’s perspective, with well-developed characters and relevant themes, despite some challenges in its structure and organization. Highly recommended for first-generation individuals seeking inspiration in storytellng.

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 wasn’t her fault.

Children of immigrants and poor families are forced to grow up quickly, because they have so many responsibilities and expectations and pressure put on them. They also grow up quickly because they cannot depend on their parents. It hurt to see Qian being disappointed and held back by the adults in her life, she didn’t have many good role models throughout her childhood.

Qian's complex relationship with her parents was a rollercoaster ride for me. At times I was so frustrated with them for all the unnecessary hurtful things they said, or how much fear they instilled in her, or how much they held her back from dreaming and doing what she wanted to do. Her parents, especially her mother, relied on her so much, and she was burdened beyond what any child should have to shoulder. The constant fear that she and her family lived with just because they were "undocumented" severely hindered their ability to live and thrive. America was a cold and unwelcoming place to them.

“Beautiful country” is what China calls America (Meiguo). Korea, because it uses Chinese characters, also calls America “beautiful country” (Miguk). The America that Qian experienced was far from that. I think she’s so brave to have shared her story. I hope that Qian is now healing from her trauma, that writing this book was cathartic for her and that she knows how much she’s touching people’s lives and helping them to understand and heal from their own traumas too.

This book is easily my top read of the year so far.

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

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.