Anna Chu’s memoir “Made in China” offers readers a harrowing glimpse into the complex intersection of immigrant experiences, maternal abuse, and labor exploitation in America. While the title might suggest a focus primarily on sweatshop labor, the heart of this narrative delves much deeper into Anna’s relationship with her mother and her journey as a Chinese immigrant in the United States.
Anna’s story begins in China, where she lived with her loving grandparents until age seven. Her mother had left for America when Anna was just two years old, establishing a new life and starting a new family with Anna’s stepfather. When her mother finally returns to retrieve her, Anna is thrust into an unfamiliar world where she immediately recognizes her status as an outsider in her new “family.” The dynamics established are heartbreaking – Anna’s mother refuses to let her call her “mom,” insisting she refer to her as “auntie” and making it painfully clear that her half-siblings receive preferential treatment.
The memoir sheds important light on the historical context of American sweatshops, explaining how the factory system evolved through the Industrial Revolution, creating cycles of exploitation that particularly affected new immigrants. These immigrants, often unable to speak English or with undocumented status, couldn’t advocate for themselves or unionize, making them vulnerable to exploitation. Anna herself is eventually forced to work in her stepfather’s sweatshop as a young teenager, experiencing firsthand the grueling conditions – hot, dusty environments filled with loose threads and fabric, where workers stand in the same spot day after day, developing sores and calluses from repetitive motion.
Perhaps most devastating in Anna’s account is how her mother transforms her into essentially a household servant by age 13. She’s tasked with extensive cleaning duties, cooking, and childcare for her half-siblings, while her mother shows no concern for her academic performance or wellbeing. The injustice of the situation is palpable – Anna describes washing trash cans, waxing couches, and scrubbing decks before school, then coming home to a list of additional chores that leave no time for homework or studying.
A pivotal moment comes when Anna, encouraged by a school friend, speaks to her guidance counselor and ultimately calls Child Protective Services. This act of self-advocacy leads to some improvements in her situation – she’s no longer forced to work at the sweatshop and gains a measure of independence with her own bank account and outside job. Yet, the CPS investigation ultimately rules “no abuse,” leaving Anna questioning her own experiences and the standards by which abuse is measured.
The memoir continues through Anna’s college years and beyond, revealing the ongoing struggle to establish a healthy relationship with her mother. Even moments that appear to be breakthroughs – like her mother surprisingly attending her graduate school graduation with roses – are undermined by continued manipulation and emotional neglect, such as when her mother deliberately fails to inform her of her grandfather’s death despite knowing Anna’s wish to attend his funeral.
What makes “Made in China” particularly powerful is Anna’s reflective maturity. She recognizes that her mother’s behavior stems from her own traumas, writing, “I am beginning to realize that we are all raised by children, children that are shaped by their own traumas.” Yet she also acknowledges the difficulty in maintaining a relationship when the other person refuses to acknowledge their harmful behavior or change.
The memoir ends on a bittersweet note with Anna reconnecting with her grandmother and finally experiencing the unconditional love she had searched for from her mother for decades. This reunion provides some measure of healing, though not the neat closure or justice that readers might hope for. Instead, it offers a realistic portrayal of how we sometimes must find peace without perfect resolution, a message that will resonate with many readers who have complex family relationships of their own.
