Book Clubs: South County Book Group

"Mei Guo," the Chinese word for America, means "beautiful country." But when seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York City in 1994, her life is marked by fear and scarcity. Her parents, once professors in China, now work in Chinatown sweatshops as their "illegal" family struggles to survive. Shunned at school for her limited English, Qian finds refuge in library books. Small joys—greasy pizza, scavenged treasures, and a Christmas visit to Rockefeller Center—bring moments of light. But when Ma Ma collapses from a hidden illness and Ba Ba retreats emotionally, Qian must navigate a fractured family, holding onto his plea: “Say you were born here.” With lyricism and strength, Qian Julie Wang shares a powerful story of resilience, invisibility, and hope.