Three generations of a very interesting family are our “Real Americans.” May, the mother of Lily, is a Chinese scientist who was lucky to come to America to practice in her field. May and her husband have raised Lily to be so American that Lily speaks no Chinese and has never been to China. Lily, estranged from her mother, marries a very wealthy man but decides that she needs to raise their son away from all that wealth. Nick, the son, wants to know about his father, but Lily provides no answers to his questions.

Threaded into this story of how these three come together are two themes. One is the excitement of making new scientific discoveries (and finding funding for them) and the drive to explore even further. Since the scientific field in question is epigenetics, there are definite ethical questions, which form an important part of the story. The other theme is money. How much is too much? When should one be satisfied? How this all plays out for May, Lily and Nick makes for a very affecting and thought-provoking story.

Couldn't put this one down. The structure of the story felt unique between different family members. I found myself curious about the others while still completely engrossed in the current. This book could have been 200 more pages and I would have been happy.

Real Americans gives us the story of a Chinese family trying to assimilate into American society. We hear from three generations of family members. The first is Lily who is the second generation. The next is Nick, Lily's son, as he becomes an adult. The last POV is that of Mei who is Lily's mother. The story spans over decades and in different cities which keeps things interesting. I enjoyed Lily's story the most. I felt it was most representative of the struggles of fitting into a racist America as well as the struggles of motherhood. Mei's story was the most confusing as it starts to broach into a sci-fi story. I felt that took away from the overall theme of the book. I still very much enjoyed this story and it's 5 stars for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 rounded up, mostly on the strength of the premise.

I loved the ideas that Khong is interrogating in this book: how far should we go with science? how far can/should we go to protect our children? what is the American dream? can we combat the privilege people (rich white men, in particular) are born with and into? should we?

But the execution felt a little flat to me. What I loved most from Khong's first book, Goodbye Vitamin, were the way the characters felt real -- imperfect, emotional, authentic, whatever word that makes you understand I felt like I was spying on real lives reading that book. This book, in contrast, made me feel like I was watching a morality play or reading an Agatha Christie novel, always watching for clues and waiting for the final lesson or reveal. The structure didn't help: as soon as I felt pulled into one character's story, we switched perspectives. At the same time, there were characters we never really get into whose perspectives I wanted more of. Giving us Matthew's internal thoughts along with Lily's or Sam's POV alongside Nick's, for example, I think would have allowed Khong to more clearly show us potential answers to the questions this book poses, instead of telling us.

I'll keep reading Khong. I like the way her mind works, and her writing is strong.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

As a fan of Rachel Khong's Goodbye Vitamin, I was really excited for her follow-up novel. While nothing like GV, Real Americans stands on its own as a unique story following a Chinese American young woman in NYC, her parents life back in China, and her son's life in America. With a small magical realism element, flashbacks, and fully drawn characters with real and believable flaws, this novel is wonderful.

Told in several distinct parts, we get to know many different characters deeply as we learn why they made the choices they did and come to understand them as people. This is my favorite kind of novel, as we don't love every character, but we do understand them and sympathize with them. I cannot wait to hear what more people think about Real Americans!

Real Americans is a multigenerational novel that spans three decades, two countries, and three POV’s. The book opens in the days leading into Y2K in New York City when 22 year old Chinese American Lily meets Matthew—a white American man, and seemingly falls in love. What follows is their story, their parents’ story, and the story that came before. The book deals heavily with the immigrant experience, assimilation, and identity. Khong delves into the experience of being white passing—an Asian American inhabiting a white body, as well as being a person of color and what it means to be American. What it means to be family and how far you’ll go to lay the foundation down for future generations is posed throughout the novel—and do parents have the right to make big decisions that could permanently alter their children’s lives, in the name of doing good?

The overarching theme of the book that is all tied together in the third section, is time—how much, or how little we have, depending on how you look at it. What will we do with our time here? How will we make our lives matter? How will we use our time to do good?

I recommend this book to children of immigrant parents who want to better understand their whys—to fans of sweeping family sagas, to those who love nuanced, well fleshed out characters, and fans of fiction with a touch of magical realism.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Khong is a three generation, two continent, philosophically and scientifically probing tale. The novel opens on the eve of the new millennium with Y2K fears and ends several years out, in 2030. Events span the US continent, from Long Island to Vashon Island to Florida, with a China and Hong Kong backstory. The morality and repercussions of genetic engineering come up for scrutiny. Despite the big issues at stake, the story told from three different points of view, is entertaining and easy to follow. Excellent writing, plus a satisfying ending, not too pie-in-the-sky yet everything resolved, make this fairly long book worth the time to read.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Goodbye, Vitamin so I have been anxiously awaiting the release of Real Americans. Such a captivating multi-generational family story; I loved the character development throughout the book and Khong’s writing is strong and compelling. One of my favorite reads of 2024 — 4.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A multi-generational story that hinges on questions of inherited trauma, fate, and power, Real Americans is an immersive family story that left me saying to myself "wow" when I finished the last page. Comprised of three POVs from three generations of a Chinese-American family, this novel digs deep into questions of what truly defines a family, how early traumatic experiences can be passed down to the next generation, and where these codified transfers of life experience are tied to genetics or merely to shared life experiences. Khong is a beautiful writer, and there were passages in this story that I would re-read multiple times simply because they were so beautiful they warranted a second or third take.

The philosophical questions raised about epigentics and how far is too far in the world of genomic testing was thought-provoking and provided another complex layer to this story of three family members - who each interpreted their role/experience in this new frontier of genetics differently based on world events and the current state of scientific study. The only element that may have been a bit superfluous was the touch of magical realism that involved freezing moments of time - but possibly Khong integrated that as another potential question for the reader to further ponder about what types of experiences and trauma can be passed on to future generations.

The net-net is that this is a must read, atmospheric novel that readers will savor and keep thinking about long after they finish. Highly recommend! Thanks to Net Galley and Knopf for my advance copy. All opinions noted here are my own.

4.5, rounded up.

(Received an ARC for this book.)

I love a sweeping family saga always and this book did not disappoint (I read it in two nights). I haven't read Goodbye, Vitamin so I wasn't familiar as with the author but now I'm a total fangirl. The story was super fascinating with some bananas twists that actually added to the story vs. detracting from it and the characters felt real and lived-in. Definitely put this on your pre-order or hold list for April ASAP; I predict it's going to be VERY popular. #RealAmericans #NetGalley

I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, I really loved this book! It's about a big family with lots of stories to tell, and I couldn't put it down. The way the story switches between different characters kept me interested, having to read during any work break I got. Rachel Khong talks about important topics like what it means to be a good person and a good American, as well as multigenerational family dynamics, which really got me reflecting on my own experiences as a first-generation American to Filipino immigrant parents. Even though the book talks about some complicated things like being an immigrant and figuring out personal identity, it's written in a way that's beautiful and easy to understand. I think it would be perfect for a book club! And, as someone who has an educational background in science, I was impressed by how accurate the science parts were. Overall, I totally recommend this book - I had a great time reading it!

This multigenerational story pulled me right in and kept calling me back. There were so many issues packed in, with each generation struggling to find their identity as they approached adulthood... and trauma beging passed from one to the next. The struggles with race and the immigrat experience were dealt with realistically. This saga will keep you thinking long after you put the book down.

I can't give you a simple reason why I requested Real Americans from Netgalley. The cover was interesting, I haven't read anything by Rachel Khong, but I am a big fan of multi-generational novels. This one spans three generations of a Chinese-American family beginning with Mei, her daughter Lily, and Lily's son Nick. The book is divided into parts with each one centered on a different protagonist. I'll admit that there were times that I felt a bit confused and wondered what had gone on in the intervening years, but it all comes together in Mei's section at the end. There were some aspects concerned with science (science fiction?) that I found distracting but the overall story was an intriguing one. The author writes in simplistic yet descriptive prose that is a pleasure to read. I was especially interested in Khong's idea of making decisions for your children, and what can happen even when you have only good intentions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on April 30, 2024.

A sweeping multi-generational novel that takes us from Communist China in the mid-20th century to San Francisco in 2030, "Real Americans" takes on the perspectives of 3 individuals in a complicated Chinese-American family and their separate and joint paths across time.

In 2000, Lily Chen is a struggling unpaid intern in a media company in NYC; she's barely making ends meet, frequently needing to ask her parents for money for rent. At one of her company's parties however, she meets Matthew, the nephew of her boss, and her world is forever changed. Despite the fact that the two are completely different and he clearly comes from a background of wealth, Lily can't help but stay by his side - even when she finds out that Matthew took on a fake last name to hide his family's affiliation with one of the largest pharmaceutical firms in the country.

The novel jumps ahead nearly two decades, told now from the perspective of Nick Chen. Growing up in an island off of Washington under the care of his mother Lily, he can't help but notice how completely different his appearance his from hers. It's only when he graduates high school and leaves for college that he stumbles across the secret of his father that she's hidden from him, and Nick decides to keep some secrets of his own. His actions cause even further tears in his family, despite his attempts to come to terms with his own identity.

The final section of the novel centers on May, Lily's mother. In 2030, she lives an isolated life in San Francisco, estranged from her daughter. An unexpected meeting prompts her to look back on her life, beginning with the takeover of China by Mao and the ways the Communist regime ruined her dreams of becoming a scientist and forced her to separate from her love. She gambles on a chance to escape to the US and rebuild a life in a new country - but the decisions she makes for her own daughter and the generations that follow have unexpected ramifications.

From the first passage, this novel pulled me in and didn't let go. Khong is an adept writer with a clear, developed prose and the ability to craft complex characters that you can't help but empathize with. Each storyline was distinct and built out, focusing on a myriad of difficult issues: privilege and wealth; identity and race; generational trauma; the pursuit of the "American dream", and the externalities of forcing decisions on your children, even with the best intentions. While there were elements of magical realism/science fiction that I didn't think were entirely necessary (and honestly, a little distracting) to the main plot, it was a satisfying read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Looking forward to when "Real Americans" is published in April 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own..

Such a thought-provoking story of family, multicultural trauma, and ethics. What lengths would you go to in order to protect your loved ones? What choices would you make when offered the ability to balance the scale of cultural inequalities?

As stated in many of my other reviews, I truly enjoy books with multiple narrators. I especially appreciated that this story was told somewhat out of order chronologically,

One aspect didn’t work for me (no spoilers) but it didn’t affect my reading or overall opinion..

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong tells the story of Lily, her son Nick, and her mother, May. The story is told in three parts and allows insight into each person's life. The story is beautiful, reflective, and at times, sad. It covers relatable family issues that resonated with me. Each major protagonist has a detailed story arc. Khong does a great job of making this a story that will stay with you. I

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an e-arc in exchange for an unbiased review.

I put my life on hold for a day and a half to read this amazing story. A cast of beautifully drawn and uniquely flawed characters who traverse generations in a plot that explores heritage and genetics, and the dangers inherent in manipulating either of them. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was a beautifully delivered multigenerational tale spanning 3 generations of a Chinese immigrant family. The book centers on so many vital and important themes, namely the idea of identity and what it truly means to be a “real” American.

Going into this, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it, as I typically don’t gravitate toward this genre and this type of story. I’m so glad I took the plunge because it was the type of novel that really made me stop and think about ethnicity, identity, and recognizing the struggles some face when they can’t quite find where they belong. This is definitely a book to spark discussion or to just ponder on ones own, and I would absolutely recommend it. It was a highly enjoyable story!

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to read to and review this arc!

While I really enjoyed this book, it felt a little disjointed at times. The story is told in three parts from the perspective of Lily, her son Nick and her mother Mei - this left me feeling almost like I was reading three separate books at times. Overall it was both heartbreaking and hopeful and I loved both the Chinese history and the science intertwined throughout. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a family saga. It starts off with Lily who is Chinese American. She does not really know what she wants to do in life and feels the weight of expectations. Lily is the first third of the book. Then we have Nick who is Lily's son. He has wondered about his father his whole life. Why did his mother leave? He also does not look anything like his mother instead he looks like the all American boy. Will he look for his father and if he does what will he find? The third section is about May, Lily's mother. May came from a poor family in China but always wanted to be a scientist. She gets into university right before Mao takes over China. She escapes China to come to the United States. The story revolves around the decisions made by each character and what it does to this family.

It is an interesting story and will make you think about where you came from. Most of us come from immigrant ancestors. It will also make you think about choices that families make with the best intentions. If you like family dramas then give this book a try.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #RachelKhong, @Knopf for a copy of this book.