In Chinese, the word for America, Mei Guo, translates directly to “beautiful country.” Yet when seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York City in 1994 full of curiosity, she is overwhelmed by crushing fear and scarcity. In China, Qian’s parents were professors; in America, her family is “illegal” and it will require all the determination and small joys they can muster to survive.
Inhabiting her childhood perspective with exquisite lyric clarity and unforgettable charm and strength, Qian Julie Wang has penned an essential American story about a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.
Qian Julie Wang is a New York Times bestselling author and a civil rights litigator. A graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore College, Qian Julie wrote Beautiful Country on her daily subway commute while making partner at a national firm. Previously a commercial litigator, she is now managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advancing education, disability, and civil rights. Qian Julie’s writing has appeared in major publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Elle UK, and The Cut. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Salty and Peppers.
The TODAY show’s book of the month selection– https://www.today.com/video/-beautiful-country-author-qian-julie-wang-talks-to-jenna-bush-hager-120398405765
Starred review from KIRKUS -- https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/qian-julie-wang/beautiful-country/
Starred review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY -- https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-385-54721-5
Beautiful Country highlighted by the New York Times as one of the important books to come out in September --https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/books/september-books.html?referringSource=articleShare
