Scan barcode
lola113's review against another edition
5.0
“It takes a certain level of foolishness to build your first book around your deepest childhood traumas”.
I cannot articulate my experience nor feel like it holds any substantial amount of weight in reading Qian’s story, however, she has devised a new definition for resilience for me.
“You cannot know that some things are not enough until you have them”.
I cannot articulate my experience nor feel like it holds any substantial amount of weight in reading Qian’s story, however, she has devised a new definition for resilience for me.
“You cannot know that some things are not enough until you have them”.
amarachie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
nicohusko's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
mcbibliotecaria's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful Millennial memoir on living undocumented and growing up.
zhelana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I was never quite able to forgive Julie for a scene in which her father throws her cat, an animal she had agreed to care for, out the window, and then instead of feeding it she throws a stick at it and yells at it to leave her alone. I mean other than that scene the book was great, but that made me so mad that I can't give this book more than three stars. Otherwise, the book follows the life of an illegal immigrant from China through working at sweat shops and going to school in a language she doesn't understand a word of up until she goes to college. It's informative and interesting. But I still can't get over that poor cat.
aplecki2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
lsmith1027's review against another edition
4.0
Anything I could write would be cliché—this was equal parts upsetting and touching, and honestly you should read it even if you think you already “get” what immigrants to the US go through.