This book started off strong for me, but the second half of it was lackluster. I liked the generational storytelling but there was nothing about the second half that kept my interest.

In Real Americans Rachel Khong has created a multi-generational family story, in which she poses probing questions about what it means to create
your identity and sense of self within the forces of class, racism, cultural identity, and inheritance. The book is told in three parts and from three perspectives. While easy to read, Real Americans is a multi-layered story that dives into eugenics, genetic research, racism, women in science and Asian immigrant stories.

Omg this book! So amazing and well written. I loved it and couldn't put it down. So glad I got to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Rachel Khong!

I really liked the structure and premise of this book. It concentrates on three generations as it unveils their lives, their aspirations, and their relationships.

The book opens with the daughter, who is about to become a wife and soon to be a mother. The second part of the novel divulges the story of the son, Nico or Nick, as he connects with his estranged father and also his thought to be deceased grandmother. The third section focuses on the grandmother, her life in China and then the US, and beautifully (and sometimes tragically) ties all of the characters together.

I love stories with multi points of views, and this one delightlfully gives us three. I liked the dual setting and how the happenings occurring in the setting of China tied in so intricately with the setting and the incidents in the US. The three stories transition and flow together so well.

We are also treated to a love story between Lily (the daughter) and Matthew (husband and father of Nico). In addition to a love story, we are dealt a story about doing what is morally right (or what we believe is morally correct); a story about what consitutes family; and a story about belonging.

I was ready for strictly a historical fiction novel transitioning into present day and solving a mystery, but in Khong's story, we are also served some sci-fi or magical realism which is crucial to the plot. All in all, it was a story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf Publishing, for this very enjoyable, but at the same time tragic, story.

I was a tad bit underwhelmed with this one. It was a decent read, but I didn't get all the rave. Well written.

This book was not what I expected, and bordered on being the type of story that I'm not usually drawn to, but I loved it, and the ending was perfect!
This book follows Lily, and her quest to succeed in life, and with the work that she loves doing, until one day she meets the love of her life, Matthew. The two of them fall in love, marry and have a child that looks identical to Matthew and nothing like Lily. They love little Nick/Nico, but something seems off. From the moment Lily's mother met Matthews father, something seemed off, and once Lily overhears a conversation with the two of them she knows why.
The day she hears that and decides to change her life, Nick and Lily move forward together. As Nick decides to change his life he decides to move away from his mother, and seek out his father. That sets him on a course to drastically change his life.
Definitely recommend this read for people who want to be persuaded by the possibility of scientific breakthroughs to change our everyday life for the better.

Every now and then, a book comes along that leaves a lasting impression, one that lingers in your thoughts long after you’ve turned the final page. This particular novel is a beautifully crafted gem that immediately draws you into the lives of its characters, making you eager to see where their stories will lead. Told through the perspectives of Lily, Nick, and Mei, each voice brings something special to the narrative, with Lily’s being especially captivating. Her ambition and determination are so palpable that you can't help but feel a deep connection to her journey. Nick’s story evokes a sense of empathy, as I found myself rooting for him to discover his own path to happiness. Mei’s narrative, while tinged with sadness, is also rich with hope and wonder, adding a poignant layer to the overall story.

This book turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Despite its multiple points of view and timelines, the story seamlessly weaves together, offering new insights into each character by the end.
I loved this book. Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC which was provided to me in exchange for my honest review.

Really engrossing family epic that explores ideas of what a parent can choose for a child and all the different ways it can be hard to connect—racial differences, age differences and experiences, class cultures, and more. There were a few plot points that didn’t add up (no child custody agreement? High schoolers taking themselves on a college tour?) but overall a really thoughtful and thought provoking work.

At first this book threw me for a loop because I didn’t realize there would be sci-fi aspects. Especially since much of the book is set in the past I was having a hard time suspending disbelief. Once I realized the sci fi aspects were intentional I was able to see it through a new lens and really enjoyed the book. At its heart it is a multigenerational family drama which I LOOOVE.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong was a great look into the questions of what does it mean to be an American and what would a world look like if everyone had the ability to pick and choose the genetics/characteristics of their families. I really enjoyed reading the perspectives of three characters from the same family to understand why they made certain choices and the impact that one character's decisions can have on another. It was evident that Rachel truly put a lot of effort into crafting this story and I'm excited to read more from her!

A little short of what I expected.

Real Americans is about Lily, an intern in the 90s and daughter of two scientists who escaped Mao's regime. She gets married to Matthew, who is the son of a rich pharmaceutical tycoon. Cut to 2021 where Nick lives with his single mother in Washington. Nick always feels like his mother is hiding from her past, and he decides to find out more.

I liked Lily's POV the best. It is the first part of the book and it's basically the love story of Lily and Matthew. I could have easily read a whole book just about them, because it was very nuanced but also deep. We get to see Nick's POV after that when we jump to 2021, and that is interesting enough as well even though it shows the familiar themes about feeling abandoned and growing up with a single parent. I feel that this could have been explored more, not just from Nick's POV but with Lily's as well, since we see her struggling with her son but those are all not shown deeply enough. The third part of the book is Mei's POV, who is Lily's mom. Though I appreciated the hardships shown, I also felt that the big reveal about Lily's reason to leave wasn't looked at enough.

I think I just wanted the reason behind the book being called 'Real Americans' to be dissected more. This could have been a great multi-generational saga to read, since some of the tools that Khong uses are brilliant - like placing Mei's POV at the end or showing the struggles of different generations of Asian-Americans. But things like the science part of it, or the internalized racism without actually addressing it directly, or even Nick experience of being biracial, left me needing more from the book, which it sadly couldn't provide.

I love books told from the first person POV of each generation, so this was right up my alley. It was so interesting to see how the choices Lily makes and situations she's in that seem fleeting or inconsequential, affect later generations. I also really enjoyed the Chinese influence / element. Excellent book.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, especially after seeing so many mixed reviews. As someone of Asian background living in America as an ‘Real American’,, I thought I might resonate with it, particularly with Lily, who also grapples with questions about her identity in a place she’s always called home. However, the story didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It was divided into three parts with different narratives, each offering a unique perspective, but instead of enhancing the story, it left me feeling disconnected and confused. Some of the character decisions felt out of place (especially Lily and Nic, Mai made WAY more sense) and I found it hard to understand how certain events led to others without feeling forced. While I can appreciate the intention behind the narrative structure and the various themes of culture, identity and even forgiveness, the story itself just didn’t work for me. Overall, I was left disappointed, feeling that the book didn’t live up to its potential. If you’ve read this and want to discuss it, DM me so we can do a deep dive,, but honestly, this one was just mid for me.

Real Americans is a breathtaking novel that moved me in a way other generational works haven’t. Five stars.

In "Real Americans," Rachel Khong does something remarkable: she gives us a gorgeous, indelible triptych of characters that illuminate the book's central question, "What does it mean to be a real American?" (And perhaps, moreover, what does it mean to be human?) She talks about sweeping discussions of heritage, belonging, and growth with such tenderness and heart that this single book might as well make her an auto-buy author for me for years to come. (I now cannot wait to read her debut "Goodbye Vitamin" later on!). How beautiful it was to know that every hope I had for it was realized and then some.

What was unique, for me, is that we started this right away in 1999 with a woman named Lily, working as an up-and-coming intern for an online travel company. I wasn't expecting this, and the fact that we started with the cusp of modernity kind of surprised me. I'm wistful, I must admit, for the 1990s, when technology seemed so embryonic before it suffused every aspect of life. I've seen more books like that now, and how wild it is to think that this is now a vintage part of history.

But I savored Lily's friendship almost immediately. To see her attempt to forge her own identity while both exploring her roots and also trying to give everyone around her what they wanted. In a way, I actually wanted to reach inside the borders of this book and say, "Okay, Lily, but what do you want? Tell me about yourself." And I felt Lily was always a bit at a distance in the world around her.

I thought this was so powerful, deft choice by Khong. I think my expectations of having a linear timeline were already uprooted, and this left me curious about where things would go and also how the short prologue (set in the mid-1960s) would eventually coalesce. There were definitely reveals happening toward the end of Lily's section, especially related to her mom and her boyfriend Matthew's dad that made me want to keep reading, especially as my desire to have Lily live a fulfilling life suspended itself in the balance.

And then, we got to the second section. Admittedly, a piece of me was sad at first because we were leaving Lily behind, and I really connected to her. We get to see this shift toward Nick, her son born in the end of her first section, but we also leap into present-day 2021, so Nick is gravitating through the chaos that is college and living in this era in your early 20s. The nostalgic literary fiction becomes the bildungsroman.

I can't remember the first time I knew the alternating timelines was a narrative method, and I've seen that a lot since. But I can't remember too many books that serve as a cohesive whole through these three unique panels with overlapping characters. And, to be honest, I was a bit nervous. I liked Lily; would I be able to connect through a section through someone else's eyes over two decades later?

And the answer was a resounding yes, and I was thoroughly impressed. Nick was trying to navigate similar types of questions that Lily was, and there will always be levels of compassion I'll have toward people growing up. I remember some of the acrimonious moments between mother and son, and I wanted to reach into the narrative and say, "You two are so much alike!" Perhaps that's where a lot of conflict comes from; we try to sift through similar questions, and the past and the present graze against each other, united through necessary tension.

And I was already loving this. And this was going to be a wonderful, edifying book. But then something happened in the third section that I haven't seen happen too often.

So, the rich historical fiction begins. But, and here's the cornerstone, not only do we get a flashback into Lily's mother May, but I found my entire opinion of her transformed. And I can't say too much without giving anything away, but I moved from seeing Lily's mom as icy, distant, and cold in the opening section to wanting to wrap my arms around her, to see her find hope and healing in the aftermath. Her story not only made so many things made sense, but I was so moved and found myself feeling tethered to her, just as much as the first two characters whose connection was more immediate.

Perhaps once we know someone's past, we do allow ourselves to know them more intimately in the present. I wept and realized that I would carry pieces of Lily, Nick, and May with me forever. All in all, this is a profound achievement and a terrific testament to Khong's writing ability and the deep, abiding care she gives her characters.

Highly recommended and one of my favorite reading experiences of the year!

This book was a joy to read. I enjoyed the way the story flowed and I had a few moments that kind of made me question a few things. The characters were very interesting and I had smile quite a few times. This author really knows how to tell a story that will captivate you from the very beginning. I highly recommend this book and this author.

I probably need to sit with this book a bit more, but overall I really enjoyed it. I think the biggest problem is that it tries perhaps to take on too much, so some things wind up with a lot of story whereas other parts feel rushed.
I loved the idea of genetics and the future and also how each generation wishes to improve their children’s lives because how can you not? My favorite parts were about the character’s pasts and how that shaped what they wanted from the future. Overall, a really interesting read.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this ARC!

I finished Rachel Khong’s “Real Americans” in two sittings - I could not put it down. There is a lot of plot - certainly, it spans almost 100 years - and a tinge of magical realism, but also: it was a reflective novel on what a family might owe to each other. The book blended so well the individual’s story and motivations with the overarching family’s story, depicting so well how we are never far from those who raised us. It also dealt with genetics, race and eugenics in a very sensitive way, which was a surprise. I cannot choose a favorite section (it’s divided into 3), but the history of Communist China was fascinating, as I had not read about that as much before.

RIYL historical fiction, family stories + just a touch of magical realism!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good family drama story and this one was very good. I definitely want to read more by Khong.

More like 3.5 stars for me.

I love books that tell multi-generational tales, and Real Americans delivered in that regard. With the different parts of the story, Khong was able to share the characters' journeys over time and from multiple perspectives. Throughout, she tackled several tough topics - perhaps too many - including the challenges of parenting, racism, and immigration. This was a quiet, character, driven book, and that style plus some of the commentary was what I enjoyed about this book. The author took the story in a certain direction at the end that I wasn't expecting, didn't think fit in with how the rest of the story was gold, and that I didn't like. Ultimately that ended up overshadowing the parts of the novel I enjoyed and resulted in a lower rating than I thought I would give it.