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victorianamkung's review
4.0
An outstanding, nuanced, and inclusive collection of fiction, essays, and poetry from the Asian diaspora. Especially relevant and necessary under this anti-immigrant administration.
samanthalaurene's review
5.0
When I was in middle school on a long school trip, I can't remember if I'd finished all the books I packed or forgot to bring any (this seems less likely, to say the least), but I ended up in a bookstore. I only had enough money to buy one book and so I committed to The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories in order to maximize the purchase. To this day and for better or worse, I remember every story in that collection. I haven't had a similar experience reading until Go Home! I don't admit this often but I rarely connect with poetry; that was not the case at all with this collection. Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying is something I am seriously pissed I do not come across more often in science fiction. (Also, not from this collection, but "Black-Eyed Women" is one of the best short stories I've read. Loved Viet Thanh Nguyen's introduction here, but still haven't read The Sympathizers or The Refugees, so I think I know what's next for me.)
hanastanley's review
I think I just really struggle with anthologies and essay collections in general. There was a lot of content from a lot of authors, and while the main theme of "home" (or lack of a home) was evident throughout all of them, it was jarring to switch between such a large variety of themes and tones. Also, because of the number of works in the book, even though I enjoyed many of the writings, there were also a lot that I didn't care for- some of the entries were just a little too abstract and confusing for me, to be honest- which knocks down my overall enjoyment of the collection, but again this seems to be my personal problem with anthologies and speaks less to the quality of the book and the writings.
Still, although I had difficulty getting through parts of Go Home, I still appreciate the fact that a collection like this exists, especially at a time when when issues of race in this country can often lack insight or empathy. As a Half-Japanese American, I've often felt out of place, struggling to find a place in American culture, struggling to find a place in Japanese culture, and also not finding a place in the context of the narrative surrounding race and the struggles that other PoC face in this country. It's something that I've always had difficulty expressing to non-Asians but always found mutual understanding from with other Asian Americans. The fact that this collection highlighted that general, overarching struggle of not finding a place from so many new perspectives was really wonderful. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of many West Asian and South Asian writers, as well as Muslim writers, considering those are voices I don't often see being included in the discussion of Asian identity. Also, going into this I assumed the focus would be on Asian-American stories, but there are also many stories that do not involve the US at all, which I found interesting and refreshing.
All in all, although I struggled a bit with this book, I found the diversity and thoughtfulness of Go Home! to be really important and well done, and I hope more people consider picking this up in order to gain a bit of insight into different experiences and perspectives.
Still, although I had difficulty getting through parts of Go Home, I still appreciate the fact that a collection like this exists, especially at a time when when issues of race in this country can often lack insight or empathy. As a Half-Japanese American, I've often felt out of place, struggling to find a place in American culture, struggling to find a place in Japanese culture, and also not finding a place in the context of the narrative surrounding race and the struggles that other PoC face in this country. It's something that I've always had difficulty expressing to non-Asians but always found mutual understanding from with other Asian Americans. The fact that this collection highlighted that general, overarching struggle of not finding a place from so many new perspectives was really wonderful. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of many West Asian and South Asian writers, as well as Muslim writers, considering those are voices I don't often see being included in the discussion of Asian identity. Also, going into this I assumed the focus would be on Asian-American stories, but there are also many stories that do not involve the US at all, which I found interesting and refreshing.
All in all, although I struggled a bit with this book, I found the diversity and thoughtfulness of Go Home! to be really important and well done, and I hope more people consider picking this up in order to gain a bit of insight into different experiences and perspectives.
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