Navigating Trauma, Labor, and Cultural Identity // Anna Qu's "Made in China"

How do you live with unanswered questions?

How do we heal from wounds that were never acknowledged? In Anna Qu's powerful memoir "Made in China," my friend, Brett, and I witness the devastating impact of maternal rejection against the backdrop of immigrant struggles in America.

Pulled from her loving grandparents' home in China at age seven, Anna arrives in America to discover she's an unwelcome intruder in her mother's new family. What follows is a modern-day Cinderella story without the happy ending—Anna becomes the family servant, catering to half-siblings who are cherished while she is treated with contempt. Her mother refuses to let her call her "mom," insisting she pretend they're mere relatives to hide her shameful past.

When Anna is forced to work in her stepfather's sweatshop as a young teenager, we get glimpses of the exploitative labor practices affecting vulnerable immigrants in America. The factory scenes—with their stifling heat, circulating fabric dust, and repetitive motions causing physical injuries—illuminate workforce realities many consumers prefer not to see behind their clothing purchases.

The memoir's most profound moments come from Anna's struggle to find her voice and advocate for herself in a family system designed to silence her. Her eventual call to Child Protective Services represents a pivotal act of courage, though the legal system's limitations become painfully apparent when investigators rule "no abuse" despite clear emotional and physical mistreatment. "It's not illegal for your mother not to love you," becomes a devastating revelation that resonates throughout the narrative.

This story asks difficult questions about parental relationships, cultural expectations, and how we move forward when justice and closure remain elusive. Can we find peace without someone acknowledging the harm they've caused? Anna's journey doesn't offer easy answers, but her resilience and eventual reunion with her grandmother provide a measure of healing that will stay with you long after the final page. 

Listener discretion advised: this episode contains adult language, discussion about abuse, a story involving sexual harassment

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Link to this episode’s book:
Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor by Anna Qu

Other ways to support/connect with Anna Qu
Instagram

Anna Qu's website

Link to Olly Richard’s “How Many Languages Are There in China?” 

Link to Vox Article: You buy a purse at Walmart. There’s a note inside from a “Chinese prisoner.” Now what? Tracing a mysterious message across the world to understand how what we buy is made.

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