Excellent story of a family, told through the lens of son, mother, and grandmother. Of immigrants with complicated stories, intense passions and extreme drive. Elements of sci-fi in the genetics and some subtle time shifts. Very well written!

This was a hyper-ambitious novel, but with so many hard-hitting topics to cover, I'm unsure it fully accomplished what it set out to do. After so many glowing reviews, I was sure this book would be a contender for my best book of the year, but the execution didn't jive with me. 

Split into three multi-generational POVs, the novel follows Lily, Nick (her son), and Mei (her mother) throughout the decades. I wonder if the book would've had more impact if we started from Mei's perspective as it had incredible depth throughout her heartbreaking journey to America from China. Lily's POV struck me as odd and a bit whiny. It also seemed like right as I finally was getting into one POV, it dramatically shifted to another. The same was true for Nick, which I was enjoying until his section abruptly ended. 

While trying to tell their multifaceted stories, Khong also threw in lots of sci-fi, ethical dilemmas, and magical realism (which was not needed nor fleshed out well). This is in addition to tackling topics like racism, class, white privilege, authoritarian governments, hate crimes, divorce, difficult family dynamics, and so much more. It was just... a lot. 

Overall, I don't regret picking this book up, but it's not the home run I was hoping for. 

CW: rape (mild scene on pg 279, mention on pg 284), hate crimes, torture, political crimes, death of a loved one, internalized racism

 Real Americans focuses on three generations of an Asian American family. I enjoyed its structure, which was a little like three stories in one. The first section focuses on Lily, the daughter of two Chinese immigrants who fled Mao's China, and is in the mould of a "messy 20-something" novel with a strong but complicated live story through line. The second section focuses on her son Nick and is more a coming of age novel. The final section is devoted to the story of Mei, Lily's mother, and can be best described as historical fiction. It really brought several earlier storylines together and helped explain Lily's alienation from her mother and from Nick's father. Belonging, identity, fate, and destiny are key themes, but the way this novel explores them in terms of science and epigenetics and the ethics around those gives it a fresh and unique feel. It also explores complicated family dynamics impacted by immigration, racism, class, and wealth. The reasoning behind some of the actions of some of the characters remained a mystery to me though and I wished I had the power to force everyone into family therapy, but overall I'm glad I gave this book a go, particulalry since Khong's debut, Goodbye Vitamin, was not as successful for me as it was for other readers. 

Real Americans will stick with me for a long time. It’s a multi-generational narrative that crafts a story through quite a span of time. Lived experiences for several family members are written in beautiful, and at times, heartbreaking detail. This is a true depiction about how environment, world events, and our personal choices while navigating the uncontrollable can have a trickle down effect for generations. 

Engaging and immersive. Part multigenerational saga, part coming of age, part philosophical reflection. I really enjoyed it! I would rate between 4.25-4.5/5 stars ⭐️ This would make a great book to discuss with a book club! 

This book sucked me in right away. Maybe it was the coming of age around the same time as myself, with the turn of the century talk and 911, and the writing kept the story moving along and really only gave you what was needed and not a lot of extra fluff. 
When I got to the end of Lily's section, ending on a cliff hanger, I was annoyed that it started over from her son's POV 17 years later, so I knew I wasn't going to find out what happened with her mom. Not long after my frustration I was again sucked into the story. It was predictable enough but at the same time a bit unbelievable with what Nick had and didn't have and what would be hidden from his mom.  Again, with a cliff hanger at the end lead into May's story.
I'm not sure the title or the synopsis I read before starting gave me an idea of what to expect. It did give a lot of real examples of where we are today, how we got here, and what to be cautious of when wanting a future for our country and world. The messaging was subtle which I enjoy. Nothing felt forced, the story kept moving. I would and have been recommending this to anyone who loves to read.