"I'd only wanted my daughter's life to be better than mine."

An amazing, heart-breaking story full of hope, mistakes, and the unflinching, complicated love of mothers. This story is broken in three parts, POV I wish I'd known before I started.

The first part feels like a love story about an unlikely couple. I felt swept up but also curious where the story was going. There are parts about family drama, power, money and race (and racism) - some that felt just below the surface while others were right there, plain in the story. I felt confused but I wanted to know more.

Part 2 will jump many years and bring to to the story of the child, Nick. This story will both give more depth to the first couple and their love story, but also shine a light on the previous generations just a bit. It also gives us more of this "time stop" sci-fi part of the story that always felt like it didn't quite belong but I liked the comparisons that are later given for it.

The final story goes all the way back to the beginning, just liked I'd hoped it would. The three stories will bring a full picture of a young couple who wanted more from life. A bright, young, hopeful couple that wanted to come to America and give their kids more. In their push to change their child's futures to look different than their own, every parent wonders - have I done all I could? Did I do more harm than good?

Can I ever be enough? Will my children ever forgive my faults and all my mistakes?

It was such a touching story and I appreciated the little sparks of humor in the midst of all the times my heart broke. I didn't realize I was so emotionally tied into the story until I felt tears looming as I neared the end and had to say goodbye. I will definitely look for more from this author!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the eARC.

I had yet to read Rachel Khong's work prior to Real Americans and when I tell you she is now top of my must read list, its the truth. This book spans three generations and was just so, so good.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong follows three generations of a family: the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Lily, her son, Nick, and her Chinese mother, Mei, who survived unspeakable trauma in her younger years in China before fleeing to the US. Because of Mei's traumas and her background, the choices she makes alters the lives of her family in different ways.

I feel like this book tackled a lot, and because of that I had a hard time fully grasping what the whole point of it all was.. I do think Mei's story tied things together to some degree and it was interesting to learn a bit about Chinese history during that time period. In general, I enjoy family dramas, so that aspect of the book really kept me going. This book has definitely made me think, I only wish I didn't feel so unsure of what I was supposed to be getting out of it.

I really enjoyed this three generation family saga told by three different family members - mother, daughter, grandson. The Chinese immigrant parents had high hopes for their daughter who never quite lives up to their expectation. She struggles to find her identity between two cultures and has a strained relationship with her mother. Her son senses that there are some dark family secrets and is determined to uncover them. Recommended!

I had adored Khong’s debut Goodbye, Vitamin and I’m a big fan of multigenerational stories, so this one was a highly anticipated read for me. The story is told in three parts with a separate perspective in each: Lily in 1999, Lily’s son Nick in 2021, and Lily’s mom Mei in 2030. I definitely liked the way the novel was framed even though the perspective switches came at frustrating times. I was intrigued by each perspective in different ways. While it served as a good way to make some points about who people want to become vs. who people are destined to be, I found some of the character choices baffling.

Beyond that I thought the story flowed well and figuring out the mysteries was satisfying. I was especially curious to find out Mei’s backstory and how everything came together in the end. I did however wish for a bit more depth in each of the topics the novel explored.

Real Americans has potential to be great saga. But just falls short of an epic multigenerational story. It was hard to connect to totally connect to the characters. I felt like it needed a little more drama and action.

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf Publishing for an advanced digital copy to read and review.

The book marketing machine had me counting down the days until this one's release. Unfortunately, I am the rare person that Real Americans really did not work for. There is some beautiful writing here to be sure, but so much of the buzz around this book was about how propulsive it supposedly was, and I fundamentally disagree. This book felt like the epitome of hurry up and wait. I found 4/5ths of each section quite stagnant with long descriptions on single people or things that had no baring on the plot. Then, suddenly there would be a massive surprise cliffhanger pulling you into the next section, to again wait out a long section of stagnation. I usually love multiple POVs, but I don't think it was particularly well used here. We got both too much and not enough of each POV.

I didn't find anything particularly original here. There are aspects of magical realism that were never resolved and seemed to have no function in the narrative. There wasn't enough science to the science, which is an issue when science is so core to the main conflict of the story.

Overall, this one was hard for me to get through. I wanted to love it, but couldn't.

REAL AMERICANS is a lovely and mesmerizing literary family drama. Khong tells the story of three generations of the Chen family in three separate parts – Lily, Nick, and May. In that way, we see the whole story through different sides like a prism. I absolutely loved how Khong ordered the generational stories, with the eldest's story last. It was so rich! REAL AMERICANS is gorgeous and thought-provoking, touching on subjects like privilege, immigration, genetics, and the cost of keeping secrets.

This was a fascinating book about three generations of a Chinese-American family (with an absolutely gorgeous cover). The relationships between each generation are both loving and deeply troubled. May is a woman who flees Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China to come to the U.S. She’s a brilliant scientist (a researcher of biogenetics) but struggles to form a close relationship with her daughter, Lily. Lily wants the loving relationships she sees in other American families but her mother can barely say “I love you”.

Struggling in her career pursuits after college, Lily falls in love with a white American pharmaceutical heir who is trying to live independently of his family’s wealth and business. From the beginning, the two struggle with cultural and racial differences, but primarily socio-economic differences. Then they discover something they didn’t know about their families’ histories.

The third generation is Nick, Lily’s son. The book is told in an interesting order, through Lily’s perspective, then Nick’s, and then May’s. May’s story is the most interesting, from her childhood of poverty in rural China, to her life as a university student and scientist. I haven’t read many stories that take place in this setting, and it’s terrifying.

With each other they spoke loudly: Their voices periodically rose to excited shouts, and they laughed raucously. In English they were milder mannered, polite. My mother had always spoken English to me. Now I wondered if, in doing so, she had not fully been herself.

This is a family that does terrible, selfish things to each other, with consequences that span decades. I found each character sympathetic but also unlikeable, shutting each other out and making decisions without ever talking to each other. I could see in this book how the secretive nature of one generation is passed down to the next. And even as each generation tries to overcome the deficits of the previous generation, it doesn’t make things better. For example, Lily tries to be the affectionate parent her mother wasn’t, but she smothers her son with neediness while not being honest with him about his father and grandmother. Nick also finds himself in troubled relationships, because he’s uncommunicative and closed off.

The second half of this book, Nick and May’s stories, is much more interesting than the first half, so I’m glad I pushed through. I had trouble connecting with Lily, though I could appreciate her struggles with trusting a super-wealthy white family, at the same time feeling the temptation to give in and enjoy all that money can buy. Can two people from such different backgrounds really make a relationship work? It’s a very American story.

There are twists in the plot that I won’t tell you about, but this book covers quite a bit: historical fiction about Maoist China and the Cultural Revolution, ethics in scientific research, and an exploration of class and cultural differences. And through it all, what it means to be a “real American.” I did find it slow going at first, but it was definitely worth reading.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Knopf. It published April 30, 2024.

Real Americans was an absolutely beautiful book. The writing, the structure, the characters, the plot, and the themes were all done wonderfully. The depth of the characters was absolutely amazing. Usually when I read books that follow different characters there are certain perspectives that I don't care about as much, but that was not the case for this book. The stories in this book span the decades and generations of this family, so it will definitely appeal to readers who enjoy those types of stories. A lot of the book revolved around coming of age, finding your own identity, and what it means to be an American, which are topics that I find really interesting and they are handled with such care. This book will also be a great fit for people who enjoy character-driven stories. Overall, I thought the book was touching and just wonderfully done, so I would highly recommend it.

This is a fantastic novel and a perfect example of a layered family drama that doesn't have to feel like a soap opera. The first 100 pages or so were a little slow, but then there were a few twists that came in that really elevated the narrative. The structure was quite inventive; instead of having three perspectives alternating the entire time, they each got their own dedicated third of the book. I liked living in each character's mind for an extended period of time.

I loved Khong's first novel and was quite impressed by how successfully she developed a book with such a different structure. Great pick for book clubs or over the summer when you're looking to get lost in a book.

An introspective look at a family’s inner struggle and drama in America.
I thought the characters were well written and also believable.
I thought the story dragged in a few spots and some of the dialogue could have been cut out.
Overall it’s a solid read.

an addicting and mysterious family saga that opens with a woman eating a magical seed, traces the love story between an ABC intern and the white heir of a pharmaceutical company, and blooms into a young boy's search for his missing father. Despite an unsatisfying Act 3, Real Americans was a great read and is perfect for fans of Black Cake.
- quote I loved: "I would be a childless woman whose dreams were only her own."

I really enjoyed Real Americans - this is my favorite book of 2024 so far. The book starts following Lilly in New York, and seems like a normal 20 something romance and career story. Lilly is Chinese American, struggling to get by in an entry level job, and meets Matthew at a party, where they fall for each other, and she slowly learns how wealthy Matthew is.. I don't want to give anything away, but then the story veers into other perspectives of different generations, goes both into the past and future, and veers into historical fiction (in Mao's China), scientific advances, philosophy and magical realism, but in a way that feels very natural. Even as I write this, I think those genres sound like way too much, but it kept surprising me pleasantly! This book is on the longer end, and I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. I think it's one of those stories that is going to stick with me for a long time.

Real Americans
By: Rachel Khong

4 Stars

This is a story that spans generations. It is a story of becoming who we are, who we are meant to become one day.The characters each have a whole story of their own. (This is also how it's written). When combined, the story is one of poverty and wealth, peace and stuggle. It is enchanting, and each part captivates in its own way. While I did enjoy this book, it was a bit of a slower read for me. I loved the history and drama. I enjoyed the characters as they flourish into the picture of a "real American". It was just hard for me to stay interested for long periods of time. It may be all the big "science words" (haha).

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

I loved the story of this book but ultimately I found it difficult to get into until about half way in. I thought it was kind of sad how the three main characters didn't really communicate about their family history. They all seemed to struggle with what it means to be a "real" American and all seemed to feel that they were somehow lacking in this. The extra part of the plot about May volunteering Lily for genetic engineering was a little strange, but also very interesting. The result of Nick's genetics being "more American" fit neatly into the story. Overall, I liked the book and it made me think about the story for quite a while.

4.5 stars. I've had this book in my shelf for ages, and I don't know why I didn't read it sooner.

This book can mean a number of things to you: wealth and the middle class, falling in love, immigrants, being Chinese and born into both unforunate and fortunate circumstances, science and DNA, or all of the above.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a story told in three parts. The first can be considered a story of two very different people falling in love. The second can be about a young man finding out who he is, and the last is about a Chinese matriarch born into communist China. All three stories interconnect by fate, fruition, and discovering oneself.

Lily, when we first meet her, is an unpaid intern who falls in love with the heir to a pharmaceutical company (think Bayer). She is a chinese-american woman, broke, unsure of her next path in life, but along comes Matthew. Whether or not he falls first or if she does, doesn't matter. They are together by both love and fate.

Nick, a young man destined to get away from his over protective mom, by applying for a colleges far from the Seattle based island he grew up on.

May, a grandmother living in Chinatown San Francisco, with her own immigrant story to tell.

All three people are connected in ways that will leave you guessing. While I didn't care as much for the science backstory, I loved that this story was about love and coming of age. Those were the parts that had me wanting more. Khong's ability to write about America in the eye of somone coming to this country and working hard for the "dream" was exquisite.

"The men were exactly who I pictured when I imagined Americans, whitre men who loked like they meat at every meal."
"Everything getting worse: inequality, corruption, racism. White supremacists were feeling threatened, lashing out, believing themselves to be the arbiters of who were and weren’t real Americans."

All while, we learn what it's like to be raised as both a Chinese woman in America, versus one born and raised in China. Considering I am this person, Khong writes instances of assimilation mixed in with the harsh reality of having to balance both.

"When my mother was given a compliment about any of her children she had to immediately shoot it down, by calling attention to how ugly or stupid we truly were, and then to compliment the speaker’s offspring."

"She never told me she loved me. It wasn’t the Chinese way. She showed her love to me in the way she defended my studies to my father, who would have preferred that I stay home and be married. She showed her love when she scolded me the most harshly."

"We were an American family, my mother and I, and yet it wasn’t American, I thought, for her to love me as much as she did. Was it Chinese? It was some synthesis of the two—elements brought together, combined to form a new compound. So often I felt it was a burden, to be loved by her. Yet, here, without her, I missed her."

Yet, in the end, I loved the story about falling in love the most. While others who read this may feel differently, perhaps this is what Khong intended to do - to make us wonder how falling in love can alter generations for years to come. Can we pick who we are and who we love by genetic default? Should we?

"If I lost him, I thought then, feeling his cool breath against my hot arm, I would never recover."

Thought-provoking, beautifully written, and a terrifically specific character study in the form of generational saga, though I’ll stop short of calling this one of the best books of the year, as many reviewers have done.

I think I appreciated this more than I truly liked it, but that’s mostly because I found the ending largely unsatisfying and felt that the text was overwhelmed by theoretical science. I could get interested in that, but there’s a lot of it here and I’m not sure it’s ideally presented.

As a character study this was terrific, and I loved the specificity with which Khong treats her characters. It’s too bad the story ends mostly with Mei as the primary POV, as her story doesn’t resonate as well as Lily’s and Nick’s do, though the narrative does essentially demand they go in this order.

I think I wanted to love this more than I did, and it certainly poses a lot of really interesting questions about both situational opportunities and the idea of playing God. But the best of this is Khong’s unadorned by beautiful prose, which builds a fascinating, multilayered story.

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a multi-generational novel about destiny, family, and genetics. I enjoyed the multiple timelines and multiple perspectives. This book made me think about the choices that parents make for their children in order to make their children's lives better than their own. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a great family story, following characters from three generations. I liked how each character gets one part of the book focused on their perspective and experience. The similarities and differences in each character's voice are clearly described in Rachel Khong's insightful writing. I truly felt I knew Lily, Nick, and May by the end.

This story offers interesting thoughts on wealth, inheritance, cultural background, race, and (unexpectedly) genetic ethics. It touches on so many different topics that some of it gets a little confusing. Overall, I appreciated the attempt, even if the end execution fell short occasionally.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in how culture and family influence individuals and their choices. I will definitely be seeking out Rachel Khong's other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for providing an advanced ebook for my review.