Scan barcode
A review by happiestwhenreading
Real Americans by Rachel Khong
5.0
Let's start with the two things that didn't work for me: the science was super over my head and I just kind of read through it, feeling like I got the main gist of what the purpose was. I don't love science so much, but also couldn't help thinking how this would be a great fiction/nonfiction pairing with The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson! Next, there were a lot of coincendences that nicely moved the story along - maybe too conveniently, but I chose to ignore it and appreciate it for how it did move the story along. In the end, neither of these things bothered me - but if there were any critiques, these would be them for me.
Mostly though, I just loved the book. I'm a sucker for a good generational drama, a complex story that has layers and nuance, and stories where there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes. There were times where I really wished Mei would have been more open and honest about things with her daughter, Lily, and I think a lot of trouble could have been avoided, but as a granddaughter of an immigrant myself, I know firsthand how important it can be to just move foward instead of dwelling on the atrocities of the past. My grandma hated talking about the things she'd seen and lived through - she just continued to march forward, much like Mei's character did too.
This is a story that will stick with me. I really, really liked it. And besides those two complaints (minor grievences for me), this is absolutely a top contender for my favorite books of the year!
Mostly though, I just loved the book. I'm a sucker for a good generational drama, a complex story that has layers and nuance, and stories where there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes. There were times where I really wished Mei would have been more open and honest about things with her daughter, Lily, and I think a lot of trouble could have been avoided, but as a granddaughter of an immigrant myself, I know firsthand how important it can be to just move foward instead of dwelling on the atrocities of the past. My grandma hated talking about the things she'd seen and lived through - she just continued to march forward, much like Mei's character did too.
This is a story that will stick with me. I really, really liked it. And besides those two complaints (minor grievences for me), this is absolutely a top contender for my favorite books of the year!