Book Review: Real Americans by Rachel Khong

-

What makes us who we are? And how inevitable are our futures? 

These are the questions posed inside the cover pamphlet of "Real Americans" by Rachel Khong, a story than spans several generations in the United States - beginning with Lily, then her son Nick, and then his grandmother May. 

In short, read Real Americans if:
  • you are interested in different perspectives of the American Dream
  • you want to justify having a college education
  • your immigrant parents ingrained in you the invaluableness of college
  • you are a bicoastal elite
  • you need reasons or a reminder to appreciate your family
Told from first person perspective, Khong takes us through multiple generations of a family in different timelines - from NYC to the West Coast to Asia, and the struggles and tension of life and escaping a harsh history/past to reconciling how our past affects us. 

Some of my favorite themes included: 
  • Dreams (and the American dream)
  • How we wonder about our parent's choices and their effect on us
  • Privilege (particularly those in America)
  • The power of knowledge/education (very meta when focused on books specifically)
  • Technology and innovation
  • How much of our future can we change
Sometimes the story was predictable or cheesy, and some of the science parts felt contrived. But overall I appreciated the themes and recommend this book! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hilton Moorea – Overwater Bungalow Review

-
Image
The Hilton Moorea was one of the coolest hotel experiences in my life: staying in an overwater bungalow and sharing the turquoise ocean backyard with fish, sting rays, and sharks was incredible. While I was fortunate to be upgraded from a land bungalow, we still paid a pretty penny to stay at this property and the Hilton Aspire card helped cover several costs (breakfast, premium wifi, etc.) If you stay, I recommend having at least Hilton gold status (through Amex Platinum or other Hilton Amex card) to maximize covering costs. This Hilton is pricey and not exactly super luxurious, but being in an overwater bungalow for a few days really did feel like paradise. Rates/Booking: There are a few different categories of rooms/bungalows:         On the land – King or twin bungalow, with or without private pool (49 rooms)         Lagoon/Beachside King overwater bungalow (3) – I do not recommend booking these         King Overw...
Read more

How to ask an attorney/professional to get coffee

-
Image
Like any profession, getting a job in the legal field is all about who you know and your reputation. But networking doesn't have to suck, it can be as easy as grabbing a casual cup of coffee with a fellow colleague. You never know where a simple meeting may lead you- possibly to your next job or inspiration for where to go next! One of my 30 goals before 30 was to: Set up informational interviews with an attorney/professional once a month. I actually started doing this a few months before starting my blog, and I've gotten a variety of advice and perspectives on how people have practiced law. Here is my guide on how to ask an attorney to get coffee: 1. Know why you want to talk to this person Are you looking for a new job? Looking for general advice on how who you're meeting with got to where they are? Maybe you want to be connected to someone they know? You should know your purpose and make sure it warrants a 15-30 minute conversation, time is valuable to attorneys...
Read more

Being a first gen lawyer/law student

-
Image
Today I was on a King Hall First Generation alumni zoom panel with Alex and John, who were also first-generation college and law students (and now lawyers). It's great that UC Davis is setting up this group to help first-gen students, and I myself got valuable advice from Alex and John and also got the chance to reflect on my own challenges as a first-gen lawyer/law student. I forgot to advise the students to take advantage of the deals at the Davis Grocery Outlet, Bargain Market, but hopefully still was able to share some tips based off my experience working for state government. Below were some of my reflections: What do you wish you knew in law school that would have prepared you better for your work and in general as an attorney? I wish that I practiced legal writing more/tried to enter more legal writing essay contests/scholarship competitions. I also wish I used Westlaw more to read sample pleadings/briefs/cases in certain areas of law.  My colleagues gave advice on networkin...
Read more