She indeed taught herself, availing herself of picture books that enabled her to associate words with objects. Qian went to school, but lacking English, was put into a class for “special needs” children, and left to learn English on her own. Qian’s mother found work in various sweatshops that literally paid pennies Qian’s “Ba Ba,” who had English skills, was able, after an initial stint in a Chinese laundry, to find a job as a clerk for an immigration lawyer. In New York, however, without papers, her parents had to take any menial jobs they could find. Fear was a constant part of their lives.īack in China, her parents had been professionals – her father taught English literature and her mother taught math. Almost every day, they were called “chinks” by passersby in the street. Qian’s father continuously warned her not to talk to any strangers in New York, but she and her family were perceived as “other” nevertheless. Thus, we can fully appreciate her confusion, fear, and the enormous challenges – including the language barrier – as she tries to make her way in her new country. She manages to recreate her past without any adult hindsight coloring her impressions. The author writes about her childhood as an illegal immigrant who came with her family from China to America (“Mei Guo” or “Beautiful Country”) in 1994 at age 7.
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