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megatron37's review against another edition
3.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
aliciadietrich's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Grief
drlainie's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Xenophobia, Excrement, Vomit, Medical trauma, Classism, and Deportation
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking, Abortion, and Death of parent
adrienne_rennie's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
hollydyer328's review against another edition
3.0
Because the story is so focused on these ~5 years of her life in the US, the memoir came off as her processing childhood trauma. It's pretty bleak throughout with little redemption or coming of age, except it is slightly mentioned by the very end. This story almost feels too personal for the general public to read (and purchase), and I'm not sure what the takeaways are other than awareness and empathy for one account of the undocumented immigrant experience.
I listened on audio read by the author, and the narration was helpful for the pronunciation of Chinese phrases, but the tone lacked the emotion that would have enhanced the story.
Graphic: Vomit and Deportation
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
shakakan's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, and Vomit
carlys_currently_'s review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
erebus53's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful Country is a direct translation of the Chinese term for USA 美国 - Mĕiguó . Whenever I hear " Mĕiguó " spoken, I picture the characters in my mind. A year working at a Chinese Newspaper will do that to a nerdy lass who likes languages. I have always been struck by how ironic the name is. The memoire written is an awakening from a childhood where the author needs to protect herself over and again, from the perils of being an "illegal" migrant. When any false word could get you deported, you learn to say what people want to hear.
From sweat shops, and bigoted teachers, buying the cheapest food possible, and making do with forgaed treasures, this is a candid story of poverty, Racism, and survival. I found the descriptions reminded me of many things that have been part of my life, and drew stark contrast between some of my own experiences as a White New Zealander ( Pākeha ) living in a country with social security.
I expect that some of this recounting may be affronting to those who are unaware of the type of life that oppressed people can easily fall into. The story is that of someone who has survived, but doesn't really feel as saccharine as a lot of inspiration stories can be.
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
Minor: Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Abortion
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Classism
aargot1's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Abandonment