It took me a while to get into the story for this book, but once I did, I was hooked. I enjoyed how the author used multiple POV throughout the book - it was nice knowing I was only going to read one POV for a while and still have the story connect back to each character. I thought the author did a great job exploring complicated relationships as well.

What a book. The hype really did live up on this one. I think the only thing holding me back from a 5star review was the 3rd POV is things didn't piece together as hard as I was hoping for. It just wasn't as strong as the 1st and 2nd which was disappointing for the ending. But the first two were great.

I adored this book. I am mad at myself that I let it sit on my kindle so long becuase once I started it, I couldn't stop. It is the best version of books I love - the ones that span a family for generations and explore what we carry forward from the past, how we make our own decisions, and how we are affected by the decisions made by the ones before us. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

This was an excellent book. Khong's writing is truly remarkable. The characters were so well written and this story touched a lot of complex issues. I loved the way the story unfolded. It was a very complex novel and I really enjoyed every second of it.

I finished a NetGalley copy of this book and loved it so much. The whole book from page one to last page was pure wonder. The characters the story the unraveling of the plot just pure genius. A story of family, life, love. I can’t even explain how purely amazing this book is. Just get it and read it.

A big ol' thick book of what is or isn't part of being a Real American. Yes, it is very informative. but I would also like to tag it as relevant, modern literature, social studies, cultural ethics, nationality, Asian studies.
I recently read a book on the cultural revolution of China and my timing was perfect as it defiantly helped me with one of the main timelines of the main characters. A time before my time. The Chinese revolution is not anything we covered in my school years. Everything I know is from reading and diving further into it and what caused it.
I definitely feel no matter how stellar of than author you are, this is the kind of literature based on a true time line that only someone involved could write. And yes other races can know Asian culture, but to write a novel so based on that and every corner of your life tracing back to it, really can't be done by anything else.
What drew me to this novel is the fact I was turning 25 during the Y2K fiasco, the same as a character in Real Americans, But was I more American on Y2K because my family was established for a century?
The only reason I'm not giving the novel 5 stars is because it was clunky at first and hard to put characters in place. But it did smooth out and so worth the read, even at 400plus pages.

I loved this multi-generational story about fortune, destiny, ethics, being “other”. Very compelling, flawed characters. Would make a great book club read.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I loved this literary fiction about three generations of Chinese Americans who fight for their self identity. I preferred the stories about Lily, an unpaid media intern falling in love with Matthew, and later the story of their teen son Nick, but by the time I got to the third section of the book that focused on the matriarch, a geneticist named May who grew up in Communist China, I felt a bit less interested. The three sections are tied together by author Rachel Khong but I felt the time jumps were a bit jarring. Still I really appreciated this novel. It was well written, atmospheric, and made the reader think about identity, genetics and how we are raised. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalleyfor the chance to read Real Americans.

I loved this book! I loved reading the different Perspex and viewpoints from each generation. It really was a beautiful, well-written novel.

This book is a multigenerational story that also grapples with the ethics of DNA manipulation, class, and US immigration. I really enjoyed the pacing of the work and the characters were well developed. Thanks to Net Galley for a pre-pub!

Having adored Goodbye, Vitamin when I read it a few years ago, Real Americans was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. I absolutely loved this book and it’s one of my top reading experiences so far this year. So much of what I already loved about her writing (wit, charm, interesting characters) was here, too, but this one departs from how I’d characterize Goodbye, Vitamin in surprising ways to tell a multigenerational story of past, present, and future. Exploring science, ethics, race, class, family, loyalty…there’s a LOT packed into the pages within this gorgeous cover!

This book was excellent, a contender for one of my favorites of the year.

Khong writes all three main characters so expertly, yet so uniquely. I especially loved the third part, although each section was wonderful and kept me rapidly turning the pages.

My book club loved this one and we look forward to what she writes in the future!

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC!

This starts off with Lily, a Chinese-American college grad, who’s trying to figure out how to support herself in a way that disappoints her immigrant parents as little as possible.
We follow her as she meets and falls for blond, rich, all-American Matthew, and watch their courting turn into a happily ever after tale.
But then the story abruptly changes, and now we’re following their teenaged son, Nick, who lives alone with his mom and knows nothing about the rest of his family, including his dad. And we know nothing about what’s happened in the intervening years.
This happens again, with Nick as an adult, and seems just as abrupt.
There was also a bit of sci-fi biology stuff that was a little confusing, but necessary as a catalyst for all the drama.
It took a little effort to accept and adjust to the sudden jumps in time, and the slow roll out of why the circumstances had changed so drastically. Definitely not my favorite structuring, but that being said, I still liked it a lot.
Thanks to #netgalley and #knopf for this #arc of #realamericans by #rachelkhong in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but would not say that I loved it. The characters are quite intriquing and all are deeply flawed because of the choices of others. Interesting exploration of fortune and what fortunes people might have (financial, physical, etc.) I enjoyed it overall, but not sure that it will stay with me for a while.

wonderful book.thecharacterss are great. follows the life of chinese immigrants and how they fit in or not fit in to life in America . fast easy. great for bookclubs to discuss.. many topics.

I really enjoyed this well-written multigenerational family story. There are thoughts on what makes us who we are, particularly regarding genetics and genetic manipulation that I found interesting. I also appreciated the author's thoughts on belonging, assimilation, mother/child dynamics, and the responsibility and consequences of being born rich and privileged. I thought the characters were well developed, especially Lily and Nick. While I preferred the first 2 sections, I did enjoy Mei's perspective of what it was like to grow up during China's cultural revolution. The ending was a bit of a disappointment-- I was anticipating something bigger that brought everything together but alas that did not happen. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-galley of this book. 4 stars

Real Americans by Rachel Khong is a novel that will sweep you away through time in three parts, each a new point of view in different time periods.

I thought this book would strictly be about the Chinese American experience, period. I did not realize that there would be an underlying a scientific aspect that tied all three parts of the book together. I loved that! What an unusual and unlikely surprise. Books that have genetic sub-plots are fascinating to me.

Because I listened to this on audio, I wasn’t aware that the book was told in parts. It was interesting to learn what information each character was privy to and how they interpreted it. Although each part was well-written, I think I related to Nick and Mei the most, which is odd because they are the youngest and oldest characters.

There were many themes running through this novel: privilege, classism, belonging, assimilation, racism, damning secrets, complicated mother/daughter relationships, gene experimentation and more. Yep, there was a lot to take in. Some of these themes got much attention, while others just skimmed the surface. I guess if the author went deep for all the touchstones mentioned the book would be way too long.

Overall, this is an original and complexly layered story. I think the consequences of how we see ourselves and how we assume others see us will be a huge talking point for bookclubs.

I didn't write a formal review but gave it four stars on Goodreads. Since it's a "Read with Jenna" book pick - I think it will do great without my meager review.

This was one of the best books I've read in awhile. Told in three different parts, it is not chronological, which I enjoy, and reading all three stories or perspectives really enlightened the story.

Ultimately, the novel tackled class and privilege, along with many other topics. I highly recommend this one, and I'm so happy I read it!

This is an exceptional family drama from a Chinese, intellectual perspective. It is packed with ideas that are engaging and thought provoking. Three familial viewpoints, each told in third person in a sequential timeline, no overlapping of times, encourage the reader to fill in the gaps as to how the other characters are reacting.

While the story mainly revolves around mysteries, the reader is immersed with windows into child/parent relationships, choices, love, forgiveness, racism, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, pursuit of the American dream and advances in epigenetics. The myriad of topics make for an highly engaging read. Strongly recommend!