Super Short Summary

A Free Life by Ha Jin follows Nan Wu and his family, who immigrate to America following the Tiananmen Square massacre, severing ties with China in protest against the Communist government. Nan abandons his political science studies to pursue poetry, but he and his wife, Pingping, struggle with language barriers and menial jobs while seeking financial stability and the elusive American Dream. Themes include disillusionment, cultural dissonance, and the challenges of immigrant life.