Beautiful Country: A Memoir

"Qian Julie Wang’s story weaves through the streets of New York City, where she and her family try to build a life as undocumented immigrants from China. Wang’s world is shaken when her mother falls extremely ill, but cannot risk going to a doctor because of her immigration status. I was moved by how powerfully Wang writes about the grief of being an outsider, but also the courage required to forge onward. As a fellow immigrant to the U.S., her journey resonated with me. It powerfully illustrates a question in the center of American identity today: What does it mean to call America home?"