3.5 Stars.

I struggle with how to talk about this book on the one hand I think the subject matter is really important and I was really looking forward to it, but it ultimately kind of fell flat for me as a reading experience.

The novel follows Reed, a Korean and Chinese American college student who is drawn into the world of organizing and activism, and at its essence, the story is about him trying to figure out what’s important to him and how to make the world a better and more equitable place.

Although the story itself is fictional, it is set against real events that are central to the plot. In 2014, Akai Gurley was shot and killed by NYPD officer Peter Liang. This shooting and the subsequent prosecution of Liang created a flashpoint that galvanized many in the Asian American community who thought that Liang was being used as a scapegoat for the shootings of other unarmed Black men, which we know is tragically commonplace in this country. And it is amidst the Liang trial that this novel is set; our protagonist, Reed, is actively involved in organizing in support of Gurley and his family and we see him try to navigate the fractures that were laid bare in the Asian American community.

This book deals with the very real and very important issue of anti-blackness in Asian communities and for that reason alone, I think it’s worth reading. It covers a wide range of topics—from Asian Americans’ proximity to whiteness and how that results in economic and social benefits to intergenerational trauma and its effects on immigrant’s children. But the discussions of these issues, at times, felt a bit stilted and shallow; it felt like we just skimmed the surface of something that could have been really interesting, but we never got to the heart of the issue in any real way.

I also thought that Reed, although young, was portrayed as somebody who was fairly well-versed in his activist and political histories when we meet him. But throughout the book, he also reveals himself to be relatively unrefined in his political analysis. I think the author may have been using the character as a way to introduce concepts and ideas to readers who may not be as familiar with them—like we were learning with him—but it ended up making Reed seem pretty unlikeable because his own understanding of what he was doing and why he was doing it felt very one-dimensional.

The experience of reading this reminded me of another book I read this year, Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou. This was another book with a super interesting premise that I was very excited for but that was ultimately disappointing for me. Like this book, Disorientation tries to tackle fairly weighty political issues specifically in the Asian American context, albeit in a satirical way, but it ended up feeling simplistic and mechanical in its explorations of these topics. And I had a similar feeling during parts of this book.

Despite all this, I’ve never read a novel that’s dealt so explicitly with the subject of anti-blackness in Asian communities, and I’m glad I read it and would recommend it if only because of that. I’m really looking forward to more people picking this up and having conversations about it because I do think there’s a lot in it to discuss and unpack.

Less of a novel and more of a Socratic dialogue, this book explores what it means to believe in something. Reed starts the book off determined to be "the ideal radical", but after learning about his parents history and their activist pasts, he discovers there's more to activism than just parroting what he's read or the words of others. While it didn't feel like a typical novel, the descriptions of K-town and their importance in reinforcing what his mother was trying to convey, were well done. Overall, this book is a conversation starter.

Major thanks to Catapult Press, Softskull Press, and Counterpoint Press along with NetGalley for offering me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

To pick a side, to bend the world binary, to make choices black or white, yes or no, a step back a step forth. In a tight-knit book, Wong flings Reed into the reckoning of the killing of a black man by an Asian American police officer and his parents' past.

When reading this, I couldn't help but think of this year's earlier Disorientation by Elaine Hsieuh Chou. Not because of their talk at Literati Bookstore, but because they both tackle issues with a relentlessness that begs to be seen and heard. To see something, then say something, and actually do something about it. By creating narratives that revolve around what activisim means. In how much we are performative about activism, be it blindlt reposting posts to our Instagram stories or parroting headlines without reading articles, we need to remember that direct action is required.

Wong wastes no time with tropes of Asian American literature, but presents the issues at hand through twitter-talk exposition flooded in dialogue. We cover the LA riots, noting upon 사 이 구, and seeing how his parents as activists repelled against injustices then to how Reed rejects them now. Two different activisms, sharing similar ideals, yet different solutions, or acts towards solutions. It's not perfect. It's not simple. And we even question if it's worth it at all.

I wouldn't call this a novel as Reed isn't entirely fleshed out as a character, but more of a Ted Talk via story. It's not a bad thing. It's just different. Moreso, it's an interesting look at how social issues can be dealt with through fiction that I think is necessary for any part a young person's formative learning. Because though there is much naivety in the soul of a beginner, there's much heart.

I read this book in one day. I picked it up and didn't want to put it down because I felt what it addressed was highly relevant, necessary, and relatable. It is a book that accurately and almost painfully describes the conundrum in which many of us find ourselves. Additionally, it addresses the racial dynamics that are often un- or under-discussed, i.e. Black and Asian. Ryan Lee Wong explores some of the history, while also addressing the intergenerational friction around the "right" way to be an activist.
The main character, Reed, is such a reflection of his generation. He is so earnest in his practiced jadedness, and yet it's also clear that there is insecurity there. I especially liked the parts where he grudgingly participates in acts of bourgeois self-care, and yet equally grudgingly must admit that there is some benefit to it. He can spout all the ways in which he is against something, yet is somewhat unclear on what he stands for and how he should go about achieving these aims. I really got the sense that his parents were trying their best and struggling to find the boundary between asserting undue control or influence over Reed versus helplessly watching him potentially make life-altering mistakes. It's a common struggle for parents, and Wong wrote it beautifully within this specific context.
All in all, I found this to be a timely exploration of what it means to be an activist and how we demonstrate that. It drew attention to the work of our elders and the repetitive nature of this type of work. This novel is ripe for discussion and reflection.

Which Side Are You On tells the story of Reed returning home while in college in New York to visit his grandmother before she dies. In New York he is deeply enmeshed in political protesting, including those against police brutality and contemplating dropping out of college to be a full-time activist.

Through conversations with his parents, he finds out more about their history and their own activist pasts. The entire book takes place over a few days -- and while parts of it move slowly, the character development and arc was interesting to read.

Reed's optimism and enthusiasm very much reminded me of myself in college, going to protests against war, feeling passionate about everything. I appreciated reading Reed's attitude about everything, and also seeing the way they shifted as he learned more about his family.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Which Side Are You On explores what it means to devote one's life to activism. Reed, a Chinese-and-Korean American college student, wants to drop out of college and dedicate himself to activism (specifically the Black Lives Matter movement). When he returns home to Los Angeles to visit his grandmother in the last days of her life, he ends up having a series of conversations with his parents about their history with activism. His parents spent their early adulthood as activists working on the Korean-Black Coalition in LA, but intentionally kept Reed at a distance from activism throughout his childhood. Now that Reed wants to be an activist himself, he finally begins to learn his parents' history (and the history of movements that came before him) and learn from the past.

I enjoyed this book as an explainer/thought-starter, but less so as a novel. Most scenes are in service of the themes rather than the characters; similarly, most character development centers on Reed's shifting ideas about how to be an effective activist. The writing and dialogue are clear, but more functional than remarkable. Still, I would recommend this book its clear, nuanced exploration of activism. I learned a lot from reading it -- and I think others will too.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON is a good-hearted, if somewhat didactic novel, about the (aptly named) Reed, an Asian American student activist and soon-to-be Columbia dropout who goes home to LA over spring break and learns that his parents were organizers of the Black-Korean Coalition. The book details his growth from strident, buzzword-laden talker to an activist with a greater appreciation for nuance.

The plot of the book is a bit transparent / predictable, and the prose workmanlike--neither consciously austere nor particularly beautiful. The dialogue also feels somewhat stilted and sometimes implausible, and the narrator is a bit one-dimensional. Nevertheless, the author clearly has something to say about the current and generational histories of Asian American activism, and WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON is an admirable, if flawed, debut vehicle through which he says it.

This book seemed like it could take place in many homes today. I loved getting the backstory of the parents and learning their history. This story left readers with the reminder that activism isn’t anything and to listen to those who came before us.

I can't stop thinking about this book. It's hilarious and I don't agree with all of the politics but it has given me a lot to think about, which a good book imo should do. The author's writing is great. It's fluid, easy to read, and very intentional. I found myself taking notes.

I was expecting something more in terms of context. I felt like this novel was incomplete. I didn't come away with a better understanding of the main character. His whole persona felt forced and wooden at times. Also, I found some of the dialogue to be rather odd. Most people don't talk like this. The dialogue didn't feel natural. Overall, I thought the plot sounded amazing, but in the end, I didn't connect to any of the characters. The subject matter needed to be more gutsy. Everything felt so dry and stale. Not enough punch for me.

I would describe this book as an exploration of philosophical ideas around social issues of race, socioeconomics and privilege, wrapped in novel that is reminiscent of Less Than Zero. This book articulated a lot of things that I have been thinking about, mainly: how do you live an authentic life and be an effective ally when you come from a place of privilege (at any degree). I suppose the answer is that you do the best you can, and accept that the guilt will always be there. I will be processing this book for some time, and I hope it gets the audience it deserves. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Full transparency, I finished Which Side Are You On this morning so I might come back and update this review once I've fully processed it. The events in Which Side Are You On take places in a matter of days while Reed is visiting his hometown LA from New York, where he's a student at Columbia. As part of the community organizing group at Columbia and being half-chinese and half-Korean, Reed feels conflicted with his desire to be a good activist and seeing some actions within the Asian community upholding or perpetuating "the white supremacist heteropatriarchy." He expresses his frustration by having arguments with his parents, who were activists in their youth, and high school friend CJ.

To me, Which Side Are You On reminded me of Cathy Park Hong's Minor Feelings in the sense that it articulated what many of us think about but don't often hear talked about. Reading this felt like getting my back scratched! Lee Wong's writing is beautiful and captivating. His depiction of Korean BBQ and bathhouses/sauna made me feel like I was right there with Reed! This is coming out in October of this year (I received a free advanced reader copy on NetGalley), and I'm so excited for people tor read this.