I am blown away by this book, and I live for this feeling now – having no expectations of going into a book and only being pleasantly surprised by how gorgeous the writing is.

Real Americans is an immersive multi-generational story, and I think it's best to go in blind for the best reading experience. I enjoyed all three parts of this book and couldn't pick a favorite because they all have their place in the story.

This book will definitely be one of my top reads of the year. It was powerful and insightful. The author evoked so many feelings that I, as a reader and a daughter of immigrant parents, can relate to. Real Americans will take you on a ride of emotions and leave you thinking about it long after you finish it.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

For a while I thought I was going to really like this book, but the final third was just…blah.

The story starts with May, and stealing a lotus seed from a library in China, then moves forward to her daughter, Lily. I struggled with Lily, as she was extremely negative and pessimistic for the majority of the book. She meets Matthew, a white man, and though they fall in love, she doesn’t believe he should be with her. Time eventually brings them back together, and this time it sticks and they marry. It is through the birth of their son that Lily learns of some hidden family secrets that change the entire trajectory of not only her life, but also her son’s.

I feel like the final third of the book was confusing and somewhat rushed and just…I don’t even really know how to explain it.

Thank you so much for an advance copy of this book. Lilly is a young woman at the edge of Y2K living in NYC trying to figure out her life. Job, relationships, family. She meets Matthew and its an instant whirlwind love affair that shapes her future for years to come. At the same time she is trying to make sense of her complicated past with her parents...their history, their Western lifestyle, etc. As she digs deeper and deeper after her son is born, she learns more about herself and her parents than she was prepared for. I loved learning about this unsure, insecure Asian girl as she finds her way. Her character was annoying, depressing but still I cared for her and rooted for her to sort things out. This drama kept me turning the pages and I couldn't put this down. Very well written and thoughtful.

This story is told in three parts - Lily; her son, Nick; and her mom, Mei. Lily is a twentysomething at the start of the new millennium working as an intern at a job she hates. She meets Matthew and they begin dating. Eventually they marry and have a baby, Nick.

This book is difficult to review because I don't want to give any of the story away. It was easy to get lost in this book. I wanted to spend time with the characters, especially Lily. She has so much hope for her future and wants to live differently from how her parents raised her. Her mother was very critical and Lily does not feel close to her. Eventually a secret is revealed that makes Lily stop speaking to her mother. The reader is shown how this secret changes her life through the eyes of her son, Nick. Then we are introduced to her mother, Mei, who is now elderly and looking back on her life and her choices.

If you like family dramas, stories told from various points of view, or stories with vague hints of science fiction this is a great book for you! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Rachel Khong's "Real Americans" is a sweeping novel that explores themes of class, race, identity, and the impact of family across generations. Spanning three timelines and narrated by three distinct voices, the novel delves into the lives of a Chinese American family.

Strengths:

Compelling Narrative Structure: The story unfolds through the perspectives of a young Chinese immigrant, her American-born daughter, and her biracial grandson. This structure allows for a nuanced exploration of cultural identity, societal expectations, and the challenges of belonging.
Vivid Characters: Khong crafts characters that feel real and relatable. Their struggles, hopes, and desires resonate with the reader, making for an emotionally engaging experience.
Thought-provoking Themes: The novel tackles big questions about family, heritage, the American Dream, and the role of genetics in shaping who we are. These themes provide ample material for discussion and reflection.
Points to Consider:

Shifting Pacing: The novel is divided into three sections, and some readers might find the pacing uneven. The middle section, focusing on the daughter's story, may feel less developed compared to the other two parts.
Genre Exploration: "Real Americans" blends elements of social realism with a touch of science fiction. This blend may not appeal to everyone, and readers expecting a more traditional narrative style may need to adjust their expectations.
Overall:

"Real Americans" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that offers a rich tapestry of human experience. Khong's beautiful prose and insightful exploration of complex themes make this a rewarding read for those who appreciate character-driven stories with depth and nuance.

Recommendation:

This book would be a great choice for readers who enjoy multigenerational family sagas, stories that explore cultural identity, and novels that tackle big philosophical questions. If you've been a fan of works like "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee or "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi, then "Real Americans" is likely to resonate with you.

Wow, I loved this so much. I loved Rachel Khong's debut, Goodbye Vitamin, so I was so excited to read an arc of her sophomore novel, and she did not disappoint.

This is one of those books that seems simple on the surface, but has so many layers. It's one that I can see myself rereading and gleaning different things each time. A multi-generational story of family, identity, what it means to be "American,"

I was so invested in Lily's story, it did feel jarring when we switched the her son Nick's POV, and then again I was so invested in Nick's POV that it felt jarring when we switched to Lily's mother, Mei's POV. But I think what Khong did with it, for the story, was excellent. The little sci-fi elements also threw me off at first but they came through in the end and again, I think what Khong did with it was incredible.

It's hard to talk about this book without spoilers! Just go read it!

I can’t deny Rachel Khong’s talent— it’s obvious within a few paragraphs of REAL AMERICANS that she can weave an expansive, flowing story, which posits itself neatly in the category of great-American-novel.

In her sophomore release, Khong plays with a quintessential Asian American— “real American” — family narrative spanning three generations and distinct perspectives: Lily, her son, Nico/Nick, and the matriarch, May. In this, Khong deftly illustrates the cyclical nature of trauma as it is passed down from parent to child, as well as the difficulties to break what is essentially like a self-fulfilling prophecy. She questions what is pre-determined versus enacted with agency through each narrator’s ability to stop and start time.

While I enjoyed many elements of this, I can’t help but also wonder on the recent reliance on the White-Man-Asian-Woman pairing that feels excessively prevalent in current Asian America media at this time. Does Khong introduce something new to the conversation? Or is this a rehash of an ongoing tension whose flames are being fanned? I’m not sure, exactly, if I see the value outside of what feels, to me, like a specific gaze which Khong is attempting to engage.

The author grabbed my attention from the first page and had me right through to the last page. Each of the main characters seemed real and their experiences drew me in completely.

You know when you start reading a book and you just know it’s going to be good? And also that it would be a great book club pick?

That’s this book! This was SO good.

This book covers three generations of a family, it jumps from Lily, to her son Nick, and then to his grandmother.

The writing was amazing, I was hooked immediately by the story and all the characters, and the way this ended 🥹.

This will most likely be in my top book list for the year, and I think it would be a great book club pick, so much to discuss!

Thank you @netgalley and @aaknopf for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Goodbye, Vitamin is a favorite book of mine so I was eager to get my hands on Rachel Khong’s newest novel. I adore multigenerational stories. I thought this one was okay. The story is split into three narratives and I wish we would have gotten to come back to some of the characters.

REAL AMERICANS was my first experience with Rachel Khong’s work and it was so good that I’m now a forever fan! (And don’t worry, GOODBYE VITAMIN is now on my list). While it’s literary fiction that’s smart and layered, it’s incredibly readable.

The novel opens with Lily in 1999 — she’s about to graduate from college and is trapped in a cycle of unpaid internships when she meets Matthew, a wealthy heir who becomes enamored by her. They ultimately fall in love and start a family together. Cut to 2021: we meet Nick. He’s 15 years old, living with his single mother Lily. He believes she’s hiding something from him, so he sets off on a quest to find his biological father. In the final chunk of the novel, a third perspective comes in to answer several of the questions that arose in the first two parts.

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a family saga (see my love for books like THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD). I can confidently say that REAL AMERICANS will become one of my new go-to recs in the genre. Khong covers three different generations of one family, and every POV is deeply essential, especially as their narratives peel back each other’s layers. The first two parts of the novel feel very straight-forward, and the third section helps to fill in missing pieces and allows the different narratives to coalesce. Khong explores themes like luck, class, family, and race.

In terms of technique and craft, I’m just gonna say it: Khong is an absolute genius. Although the three-part structure initially feels straightforward, the way she connects them all is masterful. On a sentence level, the writing is mesmerizing. The three different POVs feel distinct and the voices unique, which I’ve come to learn is often hard to pull off. There’s a slight sci-fi/magical realism bent to this book, but it feels very accessible, even for rookies to the genre.

CLEARLY I adored this. 5 shining ⭐️.

"Why did he want a family? He believed it would grant us legitimacy. He believed it would knit us together, make us a real American family."⁣
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Summary⁣
An exhilarating novel of American identity that spans three generations in one family and asks: What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures? ⁣
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Overall I really enjoyed Real Americans. I think it paled in comparison to Goodbye, Vitamin but it was a very different novel so they really shouldn't be compared. I love multigenerational sagas but this one fell short. It is broken down into three sections, one of which felt like a completely separate book even though it was probably my favorite, it just didn't feel cohesive. I still gave it a 3.5/4 because it was still really thought provoking and propulsive -- it just didn't hit that multigenerational magic that would have made it five stars.⁣
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Have you read this? What did you think of the three sections?⁣
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Thank you @netgalley for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time following the story. I felt like it jumped around and it took me a bit to figure out where and who I was with. I loved the part about China during a very difficult time for the citizens there. So scary and interesting. I think that the ending did help to highlight that it was really about changing genetics to build a "super" race but more about parents trying to do everything they could to make their children and grand children's lives better.

This was such a big, beautiful story about family and how we identify as people in this world. The story is told through three generations of Chinese Americans figuring out their path in life and belonging in their community. There are many heavy topics addressed but it is handled with such care and well-developed characters that I could not put the book down. At times, the pacing was a bit difficult for me but overall I loved learning about each of the characters and the understanding of the immigrant experience that shown through. The time jumps felt especially interesting as a plot point. I really enjoyed this book and I think it will inspire a lot of conversation between readers. Thanks to Rachel Khong, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Really enjoyed this novel that almost felt like 3 separate stories that shared the same characters each told from a different point of view (Lily, her son and her mother) set in different points of time (past, present and future). There were so many themes touched upon: the ethical considerations of genetic research; fortune and the role it may or may not ultimately play when making decisions; family dynamics and how they are affected by long-held secrets; the inevitable impact of climate change; and the passage of time and how we change with it. So much food for thought!

Where you are in life may determine which section will resonate most for you. Old souls, deep thinkers and gen-xers will likely appreciate the book a bit more than others.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Knopf/Borzoi Books/Penguin Random House LLC (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

Real Americans is a compulsively readable, three-timeline, multigenerational family saga that would make an excellent book club pick (especially during AAPI Heritage Month). I flew through its 400 pages in 24 hours!

It follows three characters, in this order: Lily, a young Chinese-American woman living in NYC in the 90s and early 00s who falls into a whirlwind romance with a (actually decent) rich white guy; Nick, their son, navigating early independence as he goes off to college and sets out to meet his father; and Mei/May, Lily’s mother, who came to the US after being displaced by the Cultural Revolution.

I really enjoyed this book, but admittedly, it has all the right things going for it when it comes to my taste. Family saga? Flawed characters? Multiple timelines? A sprinkle of science? A touch of mythology? A couple of well-placed plot twists? Sign me up. It’s up there in page count, but it never felt too long because the characters were well written and the prose and pacing read fast.

Don’t be surprised when you see this one flying off shelves and making best-of lists for the year. It sticks the landing right between literary novel and commercial success.



CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Suicide; Rape (on page but not detailed); Animal cruelty (minor); Infertility and pregnancy

Real Americans is not the immigrant story readers might typically imagine. Khong’s tale is structured in three parts, narrated by three generations of the Chin family. We start with Lily in the early 2000’s, born in America, and working as an intern in New York City when at an office party she meets the charming but enigmatic Matthew. The next section is from Lily’s son Nick’s POV. Nick lives and grows up sheltered and smothered in the state of Washington with his single-mother Lily. College is Nick’s escape plan. Once he is away at school on the East coast, by means of DNA testing, Nick discovers who his father is. Part three takes us to the future in 2030 and then back in time to the Red Revolution, as Nick’s grandmother Mae, once a dedicated scientist, shares her story, and all the pieces fall into place.

Khong’s literary structure compels us to read, maintaining a sense of mystery, as slowly the truth of the Chin family is revealed. But the reader should not be lulled into thinking that Real American is simply a beautifully written family saga. The novel explores whether American identity is embodied by our quest for the best - competive drive, striving for fortune, fame or status, educational or scientific advancement. Or is it rooted in heritage, skin color or the shape and color of ones eyes? The author also invites the reader to consider the big questions of freedom and destiny, how far one will go for their loved ones, and whether it is possible to forgive or overcome the missteps of previous generations. And finally, is it possible for Americans to cease their striving long enough to appreciate and be content with what they have?

Many thanks to the author @RrrrrrrachelKhong, @AAKnopf and @NetGalley for the pleasure of reading this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A moving, multi-perspective intergenerational story about three generations of Chinese Americans - their lives in China under Mao, women's struggles to have careers and families, infertility struggles and a focus on gene therapy and what it could mean to be able to self-select for certain desirable traits. The book also looks at mental health, love, connection and complex mother-daughter relationships. A great book club pick that's been getting lots of buzz and was also good on audio with a cast of excellent narrators. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

4.5/5 stars

I read this book for book club and I’m so excited to discuss it!

This book was told from three different perspectives and it took me a little bit to figure out the timelines and characters and but when I did, I enjoyed and appreciated how intertwined they were. You can tell there was a lot of research and planning that went into this book and I’m left with so many questions of myself and who I am a part from my family and how I was raised.

I’m meeting the author next week and I can’t wait to hear more about this book and her inspiration for it. Real Americans was so thought provoking, entertaining and I’m eager to read whatever this author writes next.

Read this book if you like:
•many timelines and characters
•science and genetics
•a strong character driven book
•a slower paced book filled with quotes that you’ll continue to ponder

Loved this book!! I loved that we got to spend quality time with each of the three characters and see how their life unfolds. The writing is so captivating and easy to read.