Pearl River Mart and Yu & Me Books are proud to host the paperback launch of Qian Julie Wang's acclaimed memoir, Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood. Ms. Wang will be on hand to discuss her book with Pearl River Mart President Joanne Kwong and to sign copies.
Refreshments courtesy of generous sponsors Moshi Sparkling Drinks, Lunar Hard Seltzer, and Mao's Bao.
ABOUT 'BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY'
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.
In Chinatown, Qian’s parents labor in sweatshops. Instead of laughing at her jokes, they fight constantly, taking out the stress of their new life on one another. Shunned by her classmates and teachers for her limited English, Qian takes refuge in the library and masters the language through books, coming to think of The Berenstain Bears as her first American friends. And where there is delight to be found, Qian relishes it: her first bite of gloriously greasy pizza, weekly “shopping days,” when Qian finds small treasures in the trash lining Brooklyn’s streets, and a magical Christmas visit to Rockefeller Center—confirmation that the New York City she saw in movies does exist after all.
But then Qian’s headstrong Ma Ma collapses, revealing an illness that she has kept secret for months for fear of the cost and scrutiny of a doctor’s visit. As Ba Ba retreats further inward, Qian has little to hold onto beyond his constant refrain: Whatever happens, say that you were born here, that you’ve always lived here.
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.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Qian Julie Wang is the New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood, which was named a best book of 2021 by the New York Times, President Obama, NPR, Newsweek, Good Housekeeping, and more. A graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore College, Qian Julie is managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP, a firm dedicated to advancing educational civil rights for marginalized populations. Her writing has been published in major publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on the TODAY Show, ABC News, and NPR, among others. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their two rescue dogs, Salty and Peppers.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Joanne Kwong is the president and second-generation owner of Pearl River Mart, the iconic NYC Asian emporium established in 1971, and Pearl River Mart Foods, a food-focused offshoot located in the historic Chelsea Market.
After witnessing the lament that followed the 2016 closing of the world’s first Chinese-American department store, she joined her in-laws and reinvented the brand, establishing new locations in SoHo, Chelsea, and Chinatown.
Today, under Joanne’s leadership, Pearl River remains the joyful shopping institution beloved by generations of New Yorkers and visitors. It now also serves as a dynamic hub for the AAPI community and a springboard for emerging entrepreneurs and artists. Pearl River’s community-based approach to commerce has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as “the future of retail,” and by New York Magazine as one of its “Reasons to Love NY.”
Joanne is a product of the NYC public schools and holds degrees from Columbia and Duke. Before leading Pearl River, she had a long career as an attorney, adjunct law professor, and non-profit communications executive. Joanne is active in civic life, serving on the boards of New York Public Radio, the NYC Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Council, the Columbia College Alumni Association, and the Meatpacking Business Improvement District. In 2021, she was honored as one of Gold House’s A100 “Most Impactful Asians and Pacific Islanders” and Time Out NY’s “9 Amazing Women Who Changed New York for the Better.”
ABOUT YU & ME BOOKS
Located in Chinatown, Manhattan, Yu and Me Books is a bookstore that showcases immigrant stories and creates a home for the community.