Sign up for Moments upcoming Zoominarsand watch all our past eventshere! Copyright 2023, David Strathairn plays historic Holocaust witness Jan Karski in PBS's 'Remember This'. After loading a plate with a vegetable Id never heard of, with a name I could not pronounce (arugula), I approached a table in the side room with my new friends all of us still in that precarious need-to-impress stage and marveled in awe: Can you guys believe the spread today? American Judaism is Ashkenazi-centric, even though, historically and globally, Judaism is far more diverse. An Inside Look at Beautiful Country Author Qian Julie The book will forever represent to me the first time I felt accepted in the United States. Her story is a modern day Jewish American immigrant tale, and over e-mail we spoke about what it means to have this book out in the world, her work with Jews of Color and the meaningful publication of "Beautiful Country" on Rosh Hashanah. In the book near the end a Judge says this very powerful line that seemed like the core of the book. For me, being Jewish cannot be separated from tikkun olam, the concept that calls upon us to repair the world. Coming out of college, I was an English major. Please try again later. I think it is easy to forget as adults how very difficult and terrifying it is to be a child navigating the world. I love memoirs that read like novels - the ones that are not just factual but also artistic. SARAH NEILSON: How did you access and embody your childhood voice in the book? When Qian started school in New York City, she could not speak English and was full of self-doubt. As utterly devastating as recent events have been, I do believe that we will look back on 2021 and see this as a marked turning pointa beginning for real and meaningful progress for the rights and equality of Asian Americans in our nations history. And during every Sharples outing that first year, I always returned for seconds. The young girl in the book is such a strong character resilient, humorous, scrappy. On this front, Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"were my north stars in crafting my own book. Perhaps most of all though, books offered me a dependable and consistent cast of characters who would remain my friends and family no matter how far away I moved again. That changed when I started gathering with my fellow Jews of Color. If readers can take away anything from the experience, I hope it is that, beyond the external labels and divides, we are all not that different from each other. It became her second home, a place of safety. The only way to balance it with working 60-80 hours a week was a concrete rule: As long as I was on the subway platform or on the subway on my way to or from work, I was writing on my phone. I just assumed everyone was like that. As a child who felt lonely and lost most of the time, the Chatham Square public library branch in Chinatown was my anchor in my American life. The brunt of our changing ecosystems falls first upon people of color and the poor, long before it will ever threaten to touch the perimeter of our lush campus. And the fact that people are willing to risk being undocumented shows just how bad it is in the home countries of people who immigrate. Its a voyage into the love, pain and secrets of family, a train ride through the confusion, resilience and delight of coming of age. Big events in your childhood tend to be crystallised in lightbulb moments. I also took copious notes in my dairy from an early age, especially after I had read Harriet the Spy. Those notes helped to jog my memory me being jealous of my classmates eating an ice cream every day. Beautiful Country, by Qian Julie Wang: An Excerpt And sometimes even fourths. All content on IngramsOnline.com 2000-2023 Show-Me Publishing, Inc. Her family escaped to the United States, New York, in 1994 but were undocumented, and they had to live, in the Chinese phrase, as people in hei (ph) - the dark, the shadows, the underground world of undocumented immigrants who work menial jobs off the books in fear that their underground existence might be exposed. I'd always dreamed about writing this book. He had even started teaching me the importance of keeping my head down, of not asking any questions or drawing any attention, seemingly forgetting that he had taught me the exact opposite in China. It also means standing up and speaking out even when it might be uncomfortable to do so - to be rooted first and foremost in our faith in equality. My deepest hope is that it awakens in readers a recognition that beyond superficial labelsundocumented or American-born, Asian American or not, rich or poorthere are strong, universal strands of the human experience that connect all of us. I never even thought about it until my husband pointed out, Your parents are super-playful. Sign up for news about books, authors, and more from Penguin Random House. WebQIAN JULIE WANG (pronounced Chien Joolee Wong) is a New York Times bestselling author and civil rights litigator. But from kind of my first days here, he told me, I no longer have status as a man. Start earning points for buying books! There is great pressure for people from marginalized communities, and particularly for immigrants and people of color, to choose between the either/or of the facets of their identities. It was always drilled into me that literacy was my way out, and that was because I had a dad who was a literature professor, who had read Mark Twain and Dickens, and it was part of why he came here. Has your family read "Beautiful Country"? Qian Julie Wang Details A Life In 'Hei' In Memoir 'Beautiful As we approach the Jewish New Year, any Rosh Hashanah plans you are looking forward to? Even with this rule though, there were months (and up to nearly a year) when I just had to take time off writing entirely. You're afraid to go to a hospital, aren't you? How did they react? We hope so! Its interesting because you think about lawyers and litigators as people who work with their minds, but its also a huge toll on your body because youre working 13 to 14 hours straight. I wrote the first draft of the book while making partner. The author Quian Julie Wang has married her husband Marc Ari Gottlieb in a book-themed wedding in 2019. Having been professors in China, their work was mostly intellectual through the use of their ideas and concepts and thought, and we came here, and work became very much physical. After we finished most of the substantive edits, I made partner, and then it was a fork in the road. For a few magical minutes, I dont even care that I didnt have a real childhood, however you want to define it, because to be children with your parents right there is just so rare. Qian Julie Wang As such, our group's mission is first and foremost to build a safe space for Jews of Color to connect and engage in their religion - shelter for when we feel utterly unwanted in all other Jewish spaces. I gave myself permission then to stop working on the book, not knowing if I would ever find my way back. Judaism is the religion of the enslaved, the uprooted, the marginalized, and the other, and we are dedicated to making sure that its American community lives up to its roots. Since 2016, the College has undertaken a substantial effort to reduce the waste that we generate and to divert waste away from incineration in Chester, Pa., and into compost or recycling. When was the point in your life where you felt ready to open up about your experience growing up undocumented? Secrets: they have so much power dont they. She joins us now from Brooklyn, N.Y. The person that you engage at the restaurant and shop they could be one of those people and they need empathy and kindness. My third grade teacher gave me a copy of Charlottes Web because she knew I loved books. More than an immigrant narrative or an Asian American story, at bottom, the book is an exploration of what it means to be human, and what it means to make a home. It became her second home, a place of safety. The book will forever represent to me the first time I felt accepted in the United States. SN: Can you talk about your relationship to work in the narrative of the book, or in general? It was not safe for us to go to, quote, unquote, "regular doctors," so we found other doctors, undocumented like us, who could help us. I mean, they were in their early 30s at the time. Qian Julie Wang | Nantucket Book Festival Thats something that still guides me to this day. SIMON: Qian Julie Wang - her memoir, "Beautiful Country," is out now. How did you balance working as a litigator and writing your memoir?. Interview by Elena Bowes. There was probably no better way to discover kindred spirits with whom I share my passion for activism, racial justice, immigrants rights and spirituality. personal reflection by Qian Julie Wang 09. WebMs. You were thrown into a school. Photo credit: The only way to balance it with working 60-80 hours a week was a concrete rule: As long as I was on the subway platform or on the subway on my way to or from work, I was writing on my phone. It was safe and I could always count on it to supply my old and new family and friends in the form of beloved characters - and all for free. Reading Qian Julie Wangs debut memoir, Beautiful Country, you wouldnt know its her first book. Or did you have to take a step back? WANG: Absolutely. It took me six months after the book deal to work up the courage to tell my parents. My parents have read parts of it, and I have fact-checked certain memories with them, but they have not read the whole thing! Qian Julie Wang: I had always dreamed about writing this book because while I grew up learning English on library books, I never found a book that depicted characters who looked like me and lived in the way my parents and I did. I allowed that to dictate how I defined myself for far too long, and in deciding to embrace both of my first names, I am very much taking the stance that I can be both-andthat is, both Chinese and American, in absolutely equal parts. Kathryn Monaco:Thank you for sharing your story! Qian Julie Wang, who is a Yale Law graduate, now an attorney, has written a memoir, "Beautiful Country." Welcome because it was a great success story of a Jewish writer in a candid & luminous way. When shes not writing incredible memoirs, Wang is a litigator working as the managing partner of Gottlieb & Wang LLP a firm dedicated to advocating for education and disability rights. Qian Julie Wang grew up in libraries. For the ceremony, I wore a white gown that And it was there, really, that I discovered that I, myself, could learn English just through books. Learn more about Qian Julie Wangs memoir, Beautiful Country, here. It wasnt until the discourse of the 2016 election, which took place just six months after I became a naturalized US citizen, that I discovered that I had a newfound power and thus responsibility to share my story, that at that juncture of my life, I was making an actual decision to stay quieta privilege that millions of undocumented immigrants did not have. By the time of my wedding in 2019, Id uncovered a sense of fashion that, for the first time, gave me home in my body. But having had that ingrained early on, in my adult life there is nothing that is too much work for me. By clicking Sign Up, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. The Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative, From Undocumented Child to Successful American Jewish Lawyer and Writer. Rarely are we able able to attend services without receiving at least some inappropriate, offensive remark. As we approach the Jewish New Year, any Rosh Hashanah plans you are looking forward to? Imagination, Reality, and Two Very Different Americas And that's why they think immigration should be strictly regulated, because undocumented people can be exploited. My children have also experienced negative comments and have been discriminated against at Ben Gurion Airport. QJW: For a child who found herself transported overnight to other side of the world, where she knew no one other than her parents, books were my salvation. We are experiencing technical difficulties. Memoirist Qian Julie Wang Finally Found a Home With ABOUT US| What does it mean to you that other young Chinese kids will be able to read your story now? And we were too terrified to find a doctor. That was all pre-covid. Detailing her familys experience as immigrants, Wangs first book vibrates with nuance and rhapsodic prose. We only spoke Mandarin, and that immediately relegated us to kind of a lower caste. Memoirist Qian Julie Wang Finally Found a Home With Her Fellow Jews of Color The "Beautiful Country" author speaks with Alma about her love of libraries and Author Q&A: Qian Julie Wang. They just have these moments where you see like, oh, this kid never got to play. It created that route in my brain where I just keep going. QJW: I think it was very difficult for my parents to shift their relationship to work. My parents have read parts of it, and I have fact-checked certain memories with them, but they have not read the whole thing! If youre doing a pro bono immigration case, and youre telling your client, You have this right. Qian Julie Wang What does it mean to you that other young Chinese kids will be able to read your story now? There have been more than one report of, for instance, Black Jews being followed by synagogue security guards and Asian Jews being subjected to fetishized comments during services (if I had a nickel every time a man came up to me during prayer and told me about an Asian woman he once dated). Whats your favorite part about being Jewish? QJW: I wrote Beautiful Country with the hope that readers will experience it as a train ride back into that familiar, joyful, and sometimes terrifying forest of childhood. An Inside Look at Beautiful Country Author Qian Julie Wangs Bookish Wedding. Second, I am delighted to be giving a speech that morning at Central Synagogue (live-streamed worldwide here) and in Radio City Music Hall. I'd gotten to a point where I was a lawyer and was fairly accomplished, but I was still not honest about who I had been. A graduate of Yale Law School and Swarthmore College, When did you feel you could begin to talk more openly about all of this? It was clear early that my appreciation of Sharples was not widely shared, but I would not realize just how rare it was until one specific incident. It was a physical kind of labor, and that was especially taxing for my mother not just because of her health issues, but also because she was a woman, and the ways that manifested I think deeply, deeply affected her. If my book might inspire readers to revisit their own childhood, to recognize and honor the resilience of the child self that still dwells in all of us, then it would be a dream come true. For me growing up, the library was my second home. Beautiful Country My parents would have a heart attack if I wrote another memoir right away! The public library is a cornerstone of our society and provides vital access to resources and knowledge to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it. After immigrating to America, I was never able to feel fully at home in a public space. Shalom, Shana Tova & Gmar Hatima Tova, Did you speak to your parents about them how did you remember so much? The flippancy with which my peers regarded the many culinary options before them. Learning English and surviving the harsh realities of being undocumented, Qian Julie eventually made her way to Swarthmore College and Yale Law School, marrying and converting to Judaism. The first time I stepped into that room, I think I stopped breathing because I had never seen a room of that squalor. They are both books seen from the childs perspective. Qian Julie Wang came to America with her parents when she was seven years old, living in the shadows and always looking over her shoulder throughout her childhood. It wasnt until the discourse of the 2016 election, which took place just six months after I became a naturalized U.S. citizen, that I discovered that I had a newfound power and thus responsibility to share my story, that at that juncture of my life, I was making an actual decision to stay quiet a privilege that millions of undocumented immigrants do not have. Which books inspired you to write your memoir and which have inspired you most recently? It was then that I realized that what I had long thought of as singularly mine was no longer my secret to keep. Review of Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang. Do you agree? Thank you so much I suspect that in many ways, my book feels to my father like history repeating itself: His childhood was marked by his brother writing a daring, honest and critical essay that had his entire family persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. But there are so many other titles that brought vibrancy to my childhood years: every single installment of The Baby-Sitters Club, the Sweet Valley Twins series, The Diary of Anne Frank, Where the Red Fern Grows, Number the Stars, Mrs. Qian Julie Wang Scott Simon speaks with author Qian Julie Wang about her new memoir, "Beautiful Country," which details her life growing up as an immigrant in New York City. For me growing up, the library was my second home. Start typing to see what you are looking for. But I had to think about making an income, and law seemed like a way that I could use storytelling to make a difference in peoples lives and still make sure I could pay off my loans. QIAN JULIE WANG: It was very difficult at first because these years were years that I never allowed myself to think about or talk about for decades, because my WebQian Julie Wang is the author and subject of the memoir. This is certainly not unusual for freshmen, but in my case, it was for atypical reasons. Webcourtesy of qian julie wang 09 Daily, I fought the urge to rescue perfectly edible meals from the garbage, recalls Qian Julie Wang 09. Something was wrong with my relationship to the food, I figured. And my mother sat down in the back row, which was the least-paying row, and she started attaching labels to the back of shirts and dresses for three cents per article of clothing. She responded with such empathy and understanding. According to our reviewer, Qian Julie Wangs debut memoir, Beautiful Country (Doubleday, Sept. 7), tells the story of how one little girl found her way through The waste I witnessed at Sharples threw into relief the hunger painted on the faces of the homeless lining the streets of Philadelphia, where I worked several part-time jobs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As a child who felt lonely and lost most of the time, the Chatham Square public library branch in Chinatown was my anchor in my American life. Books are my constant friend. I always loved books but after we moved, they took on the role of family. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Angelas Ashes by Frank McCourt really inspired me to write my book. I wrote the first draft of "Beautiful Country" while making partner at a national firm. Even with this rule though, there were months (and up to nearly a year) when I just had to take time off writing entirely. I observed the disdain with which my classmates surveyed the offerings. I suspect that in many ways, my book feels to my father like history repeating itself: His childhood was marked by his brother writing a daring, honest and critical essay that had his entire family persecuted during the Cultural Revolution. That was just natural for me. So, from day one, I knew the books were my salvation. From Undocumented Child to Successful American Jewish Daily, I fought the urge to rescue perfectly edible meals from the garbage. Soon, she was spending My small hope is that if my parents don't read the full book until it's available to the public, they won't know the full scale of details shared, so they won't be sitting there, counting down the days to when ICE might be banging down their doors. as a gift from my beloved third grade teacher. It was the thing that commanded me to binge whenever I came upon a buffet, that whispered that the only way to stave off the hunger of my past was to eat all of the free food that ever came before me. An online magazine for todays home cook. people are often shocked to hear that i wrote my entire book on my commute while making partner at a natl law firm & enduring chronic workplace harassment& it should be said, within weeks of my DIY wedding. Rarely are we able able to attend services without receiving at least some inappropriate, offensive remark. Most of all, though, I am really looking forward to getting together with family at the seder. Even so, I figured I would never make it happen, because I lived under messaging from all directions, my parents included, that my past was shameful and had to be kept hidden. MEDIA KIT| An Interview With Qian Julie Wang | Penguin Random House In many ways, "Beautiful Country" issuch an American story. Help me. Its an incredibly moving, eye-opening book told through the eye of seven-year-old Wang about the struggles they endured. Want to know what people are actually reading right now? Without a doubt, it has been the Jews of Color community. My parents remain deeply ashamed and regretful of the past, and I dont think theyve ever forgiven themselves for my childhood years. My small hope is that if my parents dont read the full book until its available to the public, they wont know the full scale of details shared, so they wont be sitting there, counting down the days to when ICE might be banging down their doors. Now, shes telling her story for the first time buoyed by the hope of reaching those in libraries who were just like her. Qian Julie Wangs incandescent memoir, Beautiful Country, puts readers in the shoes of an undocumented child living in poverty in the richest country in the world. Lauded by clients as "exceptionally talented" and "exemplary," Qian Julie has represented Fortune 500 corporations, governmental entities, and individuals in He sees on the dirt ground a single character written in blood: . Wrongly accused. It was where I learned English, discovered my favorite books and learned what it meant to feel comfortable in my new land. And I saw her get progressively worse to a point where she could not hide it anymore. Qian Julie Wang grew up in libraries. And thirds. At the age of seven, Qian traveled to the United States with her mother. Published by Alma, a 70 Faces Media brand, PO Box 300742Fern Park, FL 32730Ph: (407) 834-8787info@heritagefl.com, Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation WANG: In the U.S., my mother - my mother's first job was at a sweatshop in Chinatown. They didn't have the prescription abilities. I think that is the magic of life, when all of our adult selves can come out in their true forms and our childhood selves. It was my biggest and wildest ambition to write a book that might allow others out there to see themselves reflected in literature, and have them know that it is possible to survive similar circumstances. When Im at work, I snap into that hyper-focus survival mode, and I could just go on working forever. Central to tikkun olam is hearing the call of the voiceless and fighting for justice in every available avenue. When I discovered Judaism, I finally felt complete. It's based only on what people know of the conditions in America. KM: Names can hold so much power in our identities. Your email address will not be published. During that time, she and her parents navigated school, sweatshop work, poverty, and a lack of access to basic needs like medical care the trauma inflicted by a country bent on dehumanizing people it deems illegal. But Wangs world was also filled with imagination, love, and discovery, and Beautiful Country vibrates on every level of nuance and storytelling. And slowly, over the course of my years at Swarthmore, I learned to paint that nonchalance onto myself, to hide my enthusiasm for the feast at every meal, to prod at my tray with indifference, and later, to even much as it pained me leave food still sitting on my tray as I walked toward the trash bins. QJW: Its definitely a two-way street. You do fart jokes. Everything thats super-immature, we do. Books played a central part in your childhood. There is universality in humanity and in the childhood experience in particular. So I walked into my judge's office and just kind of sat down and spilled everything. It is 1966 and Chinas Cultural Qian Julie Wangs debut memoir Beautiful Country is a compelling and intimate portrait of an undocumented childhood. Her story is a modern day Jewish American immigrant tale, and over e-mail we spoke about what it means to have this book out in the world, her work with the Jews of Color community at her synagogue, and the meaningful publication of Beautiful Country on Rosh Hashanah. While I grew up learning English on library books, I never found a book that depicted characters who looked like me and lived in the way my parents and I did. Please try again later. SIMON: Yeah. I was damaged in some way; I was not normal. I cant imagine going from being a lawyer to someone who has to work in a sweatshop and a sushi factory and just has to endure. Her hunger was regularly so intense that she broke into cold sweatswhich, according to her Ma Ma, meant Wang was growing and getting stronger. They say you regress to the age at which your root trauma is. For many years of my life, I operated by a set of clear and abiding principles, and asked inconvenient, challenging questions, but I had no formal spiritual framework. Sad because of the discrimination inflicted on Ms. Wang by no other than The Most Discriminated People on Earth. For many years of my life, I operated by a set of clear and abiding principles, and asked inconvenient, challenging questions, but I had no formal spiritual framework. SIMON: Your parents were academic professionals in China, but what did they do to get by in the U.S.? How did they react to the book? And Julie represents the pre-teen, teen, and woman who was determined to survive no matter the cost, even if it meant hiding or obliterating her origin story and her authentic self. In Chinese, the word for America, Mei Guo, translates directly to beautiful country.. The stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves are the most powerful of all, and we have a lot of choice in how we allow society to tell us how to tell our story. Coming to America at age 7, she was thrown into the brand new world of New York City. It is Overdue. But more than that, books gave me insight into how other Americans lived in the parts of the country to which I did not have access: series like Sweet Valley Twins and the Baby-Sitters Club showed me how regular American kids lived, and how I was not so different from them. My parents remain deeply ashamed and regretful of the past, and I don't think they've ever forgiven themselves for my childhood years.

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