Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

 

Qian writes a poignant memoir of her family's struggles to adapt to America after leaving her home country of China.  She and her mother  came to re-unite with her father, who had been disillusioned with what was happening politically in his home country.  Because her parents had been well respected, educated professionals; they anticipated finding well paying jobs in this land of opportunity.  Unfortunately Qian's story details the wrenching, heartbreaking difficulties that face undocumented immigrants who want a new life in America.

The pain of her continual hunger, the shunning by students and teachers because of her dirty clothing, the harshness of squalid apartment living and bathroom/kitchen sharing with strangers, the disappointments of her parents who take menial jobs in a sweatshop and cleaners, the blatant racism...all of this made me ashamed of our government systems that cannot seem to find a solution to assist immigrants in gaining citizenship more easily.  

We are so quick to judge the immigrants who are fleeing to our country in order to raise their families in a safer environment, thinking they are taking advantage of our healthcare system and draining our tax dollars...Wang tells a different story of fear and loneliness and poverty.  But her perseverance is inspiring as she uses education to crawl out of this oppression.  She is a survivor, now serving as an attorney advocating for education and civil rights, but still affected by the deep scars inflicted during her childhood.