In The New York Times, reviewer Elisabeth Egan described the book as a "powerful story" that "reminds us how lucky we are to have the privileges unlocked by this little blue booklet [United States passport] — and what others risk and endure every day in hopes of getting one too.

[2] In Beautiful Country, Wang writes about the hardships that she and her parents faced upon their arrival to the United States in 1994, as undocumented immigrants from China.

[3] Beautiful Country was published in hardcover and e-book format on September 7, 2021, by Doubleday, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

[12][13] Rana Foroohar of the Financial Times wrote that Beautiful Country "shows us how struggle can grind people down, making them as paranoid and cruel to each other as the system is to them.

"[14] Kaitlin Jefferys of Voice magazine wrote that the memoir leaves readers with a positive message: "cling on to your dreams no matter your circumstances.