This book really made me think and I loved it!

A story told in 3 generations:
🇨🇳Mei - 1960s China
🗽Lily - 2000s NYC
🌳Nick - 2020s PNW

We get to see generational differences and how we really don’t always know why our parents made the decisions they did.

The story also touches on elements of nature vs nurture and ethics in science which makes your brain turn!

This really is the kind of book that you have to experience yourself and I think depending on your life you may take away something different! I’ll probably recommend this to some friends I really liked it.

Review will be posted on https://instagram.com/texas.bookworm week of 4/15!

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf For the ARC!

Rachel Khong’s bright, multigenerational "Real Americans" feels like a book we’ll be discussing for the rest of 2024.

People talk about books they couldn’t put down, but this is something beyond that—it’s a book you don’t want to pick up too often because doing so will bring you closer to its end. It’s brisk and breezy, but there’s a depth that sustains it across its three major sections—each one following a different generation.

This is a book about time. More specifically, it’s about the ambition to unwrite history in lieu of scripting the present. The book’s title reflects how characters frequently wrestle with their own sense of self-definition, and Khong’s decision to follow three separate generations is executed wonderfully. We spend so much time in the first third understanding Lily as our protagonist, but by the next section, she is almost unrecognizable. In lesser books, this would read as poor writing, but it’s clear that Khong is getting at how much the decades change us, and she’s thoughtful about when she reveals relics of past selves. With the novel’s focus on family, this approach also allows us to see how much personal history is hidden, and it invites us to question whether or not that’s a problem.

Thematically, there are some really interesting ideas about how the desire to control time intersects with racial identity and erasure, but for the sake of spoilers, I won’t get into them here. Just know that there’s more to "Real Americans" than a typical multigenerational immigration story, and Khong tips her hand only when it will be most narratively effective. We see characters caught in the tension of whether they are embodying “American” identity or merely performing it, often in very imagistic, physical, and nuanced ways.

The authorial voice is genuinely incredible across the book’s three sections. Each narrator draws on turns of phrase that feel unexpected but intuitive, and Khong constantly creates space for the specific, meaningless details that give our lives so much meaning. I underlined dozens—if not hundreds—of lines that made me stop because I hadn’t seen someone sound so naturally human. Read it; you’ll see what I mean.

As much as I adored "Real Americans," I think setting the final third primarily in the past deflates the narrative a bit, particularly because it follows a character who has been largely absent up to that point. This part of the story is still great, but its placement feels slightly off—its revelations matter less than their consequences, which we have already encountered. For a book that wrestles so explicitly with the inescapability of time’s progression, it seems counterintuitive. Perhaps it suggests that time collapses in on itself, but it interrupts an otherwise crackling rhythm.

Despite that very minor critique, I think this is an excellent book. Rachel Khong knows that if we are going to understand the characters’ desire to be—or not be—“real Americans” we must first meet them as three real people, and her care in introducing them as such feels like a triumph.

This was so good. A family saga with some science thrown in, my favorite.

This story follows three generations and the secrets that hat were kept. It’s a slow burn and incredibly sad story but so well written. I did read the authors first book and enjoyed it, but this was far better in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion. 4.5⭐️

Utterly beautiful story spread over multiple generations, exploring the meaning of identity, self, sacrifice and legacy. I can't wait for this one to hit shelves so I can make everyone I know go buy a copy.

What defines nationality? What defines ethnicity? Who is able to determine that for a person? What exactly is real? Can a person be a fake ethnicity? How far would you go for a better life? For yourself? For your children? Three generations wrestle with these questions of self, family, and society at large. Enticing, mesmerizing, beautifully woven strands of love, heartbreak, and identity.

A unique approach to the topic of the sacrifices parents are willing to make for the sake of their children. May (Mei) wanted to start a new life in America after fleeing Communist China and therefore wanted to ensure her daughter Rachel was a true American. So even though Rachel presented as Chinese, she didn't speak the language or know the culture. Rachel's son, Nico/Nick, was blond and blue-eyed yet he felt more Chinese than his fair skin presented. I enjoyed the various POVs throughout the decades and the insight they provided.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I liked it but didn't love it and the ending was too abrupt. I also felt that the three generational points of view were confusing because the chapters didn't have headings and it took me awhile to understand who each chapter was about. I also thought that the book and characters were sad.. But having said that,, this book was well written and kept me reading and brought me into the different time periods.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a literary exploration of what it means to be American and how that intersects with the Asian diaspora. Rachel’s parents wanted to be American and raised her to be very American, even having milk and cookies on Christmas for Santa, and Rachel feels very aware that no matter how American she was raised, she still sticks out as a woman of Chinese descent. When she meets Matthew, a white man from a rich family, she falls for him while trying to navigate her monetary concerns. In the second third, we get Nick, Lily and Matthew’s son, a young man in high school who greatly resembles his father but has no memories of Matthew or even knows who his father is.

There was a lot in here that really resonated with me as the child of an immigrant. From that feeling you get when you’re confronted with your parents’ native language but you don’t speak it to the loss of a strong connection to a culture to Nick constantly feeling like half of him is invisible, it’s poignant and heartbreaking and breathtakingly real. Khong draws attention to what we give up when we immigrate but also the reasons that we might have for making that choice and for rejecting parts of ourselves.

The romance between Rachel and Matthew was very sweet but also serves to highlight specific things, such as Asian women x White men pairings. Two of Rachel’s friends are in similar relationships to her, even further drawing attention to it. Khong doesn’t condemn these relationships, but rather makes the reader start to ask questions about why it is so common.

The three generational POVs are very much centered around characters trying to find themselves within a much grander context of important historical moments. Their Chinese identity is tested in different ways and they are constantly running towards or from something.

Trigger warning for mentions of COVID and 9/11 and a brief depiction of sexual assault

I would recommend this to readers looking for stories about the Chinese diaspora in America, fans of literary fiction with multiple POVs, and immigrants and children of immigrants.

I couldn't put this book down. It addresses the timeless themes of parental sacrifice and forgiveness in a way that incorporates real scientific issues we graple with.
I'll be recommending it to everyone.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is on this month's "must-read" lists for many people, websites and listings. Did I enjoy it? For the most part, yes. Do I LOVE it? No, but it was still...okay.

Told in three points-of-view, by family members of three generations, this is the story of family, honor, science, fate, and destiny.

Lily is an unpaid intern at a media company. She is introduced to the nephew of the owner of the company, and very quickly the two connect. There's something about each that draws in the other. Matthew asks Lily to dinner, which then turned into a trip to Paris the same night. The two have a quick relationship, full of passion and emotion. After a brief break - in which both parties mature emotionally, the two reconnect and eventually marry.

Nick is the son of a single mom, Lily. He lives a very lonely life, with Timothy being his only friend. They live on an island outside of Seattle. As Nick approaches the end of high school, he starts to wonder about his father, and eventually finds Matthew via a DNA test. The two communicate and connect, with Matthew encouraging Nick to apply to East Coast schools.

Mei, or May, is coming of age during the reign of Mao Zedong. Despite the limited options, Mei is chosen to attend university and the world of science and genetics opens before her. She falls in love and makes a choice that changes the path of her life.
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This is an inter-generational story and while I did appreciate the way everything connected, the bit of 'magic' that was included and almost....jammed into the end took me out of the story. I liked the story - stories about race and family are always good, but this one felt forced.

While the book did play upon the discussion of fate, I don't know that I cared as much in the end. I think I was more invested in the connection between Nick and Mei. How Nick, despite never meeting Mei before, was so invested in her health and learning as much as he could before it was too late. That's the story, the connection that I look for.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

4.25⭐️
For fans of Pachinko and Homegoing, this is a multigenerational character driven story told in three parts from 3 POVs. In the first part, we meet Lily and Matthew and follow their love story, including the exploration of the immigrant experience, societal expectations, and Asian female/white male relationship dynamics. The second part follows Nick through his late teens exploring his identity and complicated parent-child relationships. Part 3 is more historical going back in time to follow Mei, Lily’s mother, as she grows up during the rise of Communism in China and works towards becoming a female scientist.

I loved delving into each of these characters and the story comes together at the end connecting all of their experiences. There is a Chinese folklore/light magical element which was fine and did not take me out of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel despite a couple small issues with the science plot point.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes for Real Americans after reading the synopsis and I was not disappointed in the least. I absolutely loved this story of Lily, Nick, and May. It is a muti-generational story, but starts off with the middle generation, followed by the youngest, and finishing with the oldest. Each ending felt a little abrupt to me, and I had a bit of difficulty getting invested in the next one, but after reading it as a whole, it really worked for me. I definitely look forward to what Khong releases next!

In her author’s note, Khong writes that this is a story about fortune. In this three part story, Lily, May and Nick each wrestle with fate as they struggle to build “American” lives. The beautiful prose hooked me immediately as I dug into this multi-generational family saga. It’s a crisp examination of class, racism, biology, and the choices made by those who came before us. Although I didn’t always understand the characters’ decisions or the motivations behind them, I was eager to keep reading. It’s an absorbing read that asks how much of our lives is actually under our control?

Lily is a post graduate intern and underemployed in New York when she meets Matthew. As they begin to date, it becomes clear to her that he is downplaying how wealthy his family is. Her Chinese immigrant parents are unsure of her future plans, but Lily continues on with Matthew and gets a glimpse into a different world that she grew up in.

Nick grows up in Seattle and longs to reconnect with his dad. He goes to college on the East coast in an attempt be near him.

Told in multiple time periods, this novel is about wealth and class, science, struggles, and ambition and follows multiple generations of two families. It is literary fiction and very dense, which makes it feel twice as long as it really is. I liked it but struggled reading it some. I think that the critics are going to love this one and if you like books like Trust by Hernan Diaz and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the digital ARC of Real Americans by Rachel Khong. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The book is told from three different POV in three different timelines. Y2K era Lily's story was mildly interesting, but I felt the writing was very choppy. It's sort of a closed-door romance, which is okay, but not what I was expecting. I couldn't see what she saw in Matthew and there was no chemistry between the two.

Second part of the story was Lily's son, Nick. I'm sorry, but his timeline in the modern day, was just boring. Or rather, he was boring. I really felt like I could have skipped this part and still gotten the gist of the story.

Part three is Mei, Lily's mother, set in China and the U.S. I knew in a general sense how awful Mao's China was, but the descriptions and settings really got me to open my eyes wider to that part of history. Once she got to the United States, the story kind of got boring again, but I cared enough about a resolution that I soldiered on.

There is a bit of magical realism in this story, which is probably why I requested it, but the way it was written, you'd never know it. It was part of the plot, for sure, but the whole story could have worked without it's brief mentions.

I know I'm going to be an outlier here because I've seen the great praise for this book. I'd rate it good, not great. It was worth the read, but not one I'm going to remember six months from now unless I look at this review to jog my memory.

REAL AMERICANS grabbed me right from the start. Khong raises so many interesting questions about American identity, race, choice and fate across three generations of a family. Opening for. By starting the novel with Lily, the daughter of parents who fled the cultural revolution in China, before moving forward to her son and the backward to her mother. This novel would be a fantastic choice for a book club, full of themes worth talking about with other readers. I will be thinking about these characters for some time. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for access to the eARC. A great pick for fans of multigenerational family stories!

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is an expansive, intergenerational Chinese-American story that begins with a couple from two very different backgrounds meeting, but takes you down some unexpected roads. The novel follows three threads: Lily, a young Chinese-American woman in New York around Y2K who begins seeing a man named Matthew; Nick, their son, about 20 years later; and Lily's mother Mei, going from her life in China under Mao's rule to when she tells her story to a slightly older Nick. While this is a family story, this is also a story of science, fate, privilege, and the time we're given (this latter part giving the novel its bit of magical realism).

This is a really ambitious novel with fascinating ideas, but at times I wished it had less distance to its characters and story and instead had a tighter, more personal focus. The narrative is a bit uneven, and none of the sections give you the full story, or all of the information; you're often left being given some of it after the fact, but never the full picture. Sometimes this is frustrating, but Khong brings the key threads together at the end, and the book is ultimately very thought-provoking.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf for the advanced copy of Real Americans by Rachel Khong. It is told in 3 parts by three different members of the same family, but different generations. I really liked the first part (Lily's story) which was more of a romance story. But the ending was kind of abrupt and left a lot of questions. The second part was told through her son, Nicolas/Nico/Nick's POV. This was probably my least favorite part. He just wasn't an interesting character. He had a weird personality and I don't think it was really explained why, but it was hard to stay invested in the story. I kept thinking it would expose why Lily tried to drop off the map, but it really didn't do a good job. of clearing up anything.
The third part got interesting again, the mom Mei/May's POV. It explained how and why she came to America and how she got involved with Otto. But I don't think it did a good job of explaining why she was sharing a space with Betty in San Francisco. It also didn't explain well why Lily was holding such a strong grudge against her mom and Matthew. Overall it was interesting enough, but it had so many holes in it, that it was a bit frustrating.

On the verge of Y2K, Lily Chen, a struggling 22-year-old intern, meets Matthew at a holiday party. Although they seemingly come from much different backgrounds, the two begin dating and soon fall in love, much to their family and friends' surprise. In 2021, Nick Chen lives with his mother, Lily, in a small town in Washington State. He has often wondered about his biological father, who his mother never speaks of with him. When Nick's best friend convinces him to take a DNA test to try to find his father, it starts him down a path that upends his world and his future.

This was a moving and thoughtful story that explores one family's experiences across generations and across the world. Well written and with characters you will not soon forget, it examines timely themes around family, identity, inequality, and ambition.

Highly recommended.

Perfectly paced, beautiful writing, and characters I'll be thinking about for a long time. I already can't wait to read it again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.