Genre Fiction
![Ryan Lee Wong - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_ryan_lee_wong.jpg)
Which Side Are You On
How can we live with integrity and pleasure in this world of police brutality and racism? An Asian American activist is challenged by his mother to face this question in this powerful-and funny-debut novel of generational change, a mother's secret, and an activist's coming-of-age
Twenty-one-year-old Reed is fed up. Angry about the killing of a Black man by an Asian American NYPD officer, he wants to drop out of college and devote himself to the Black Lives Matter movement. But would that truly bring him closer to the moral life he seeks?
In a series of intimate, charged conversations, his mother-once the leader of a Korean-Black coalition-demands that he rethink his outrage, and along with it, what it means to be an organizer, a student, an ally, an American, and a son. As Reed zips around his hometown of Los Angeles with his mother, searching and questioning, he faces a revelation that will change everything.
Inspired by his family's roots in activism, Ryan Lee Wong offers an extraordinary debut novel for readers of Anthony Veasna So, Rachel Kushner, and Michelle Zauner: a book that is as humorous as it is profound, a celebration of seeking a life that is both virtuous and fun, an ode to mothering and being mothered.
Twenty-one-year-old Reed is fed up. Angry about the killing of a Black man by an Asian American NYPD officer, he wants to drop out of college and devote himself to the Black Lives Matter movement. But would that truly bring him closer to the moral life he seeks?
In a series of intimate, charged conversations, his mother-once the leader of a Korean-Black coalition-demands that he rethink his outrage, and along with it, what it means to be an organizer, a student, an ally, an American, and a son. As Reed zips around his hometown of Los Angeles with his mother, searching and questioning, he faces a revelation that will change everything.
Inspired by his family's roots in activism, Ryan Lee Wong offers an extraordinary debut novel for readers of Anthony Veasna So, Rachel Kushner, and Michelle Zauner: a book that is as humorous as it is profound, a celebration of seeking a life that is both virtuous and fun, an ode to mothering and being mothered.
Editorial Reviews
A Library Journal Most Anticipated Fall Debut
A Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"A thought-provoking and poignant coming-of-age story." -TIME
"A sharply observed story of an earnest Asian American activist considering dropping out of college to dedicate himself to organizing . . . the story, both moving and funny, is sure to speak powerfully to the many who struggle to find hope and joy in an unjust world." -Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue
"This book! In Ryan Lee Wong's hard-hitting and witty novel, two generations of Asian American political activists negotiate their relationships with movements, history, L.A., and one another. Wong handles his narrator's earnestness with understated brilliance-especially when he skewers that very same sincerity. Sure to spark conversations." -YZ Chin, Entertainment Weekly
"Told with the witty brio of our narrator's youth, Which Side Are You On marks the arrival of an electric new voice." -Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire
"Wong's book follows two generations of Asian-American activists and examines how they view the world, enact change, and work to find common ground. It's heartbreaking, but at times hilarious. The book knocks down stereotypes given to a community by the media and invites readers in with open arms. It's a book America has needed for a very long time."-Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful
"What does it look like to devote your life to activism? How can you be a good, authentic ally to others? How can you lead a happy life when your life's work is so wrapped up in trauma and systemic oppression? These are some of the big and timely questions that carry us through Ryan Lee Wong's debut . . .You'll feel like you're right there in Los Angeles, a fly on the wall of these important conversations. But this is not a strictly somber novel by any means! It's a wonderful balancing act, tackling serious topics with humor and heart." -Katie Yee, A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"With empathy plus sighing, cringing, and laughing, Wong provides quite the education for us all." -Booklist
"Full of vibrant characters, this punchy story [...] offers no simple answers to ongoing racial conflicts. The portrait of a sanctimoniou...
A Millions Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"A thought-provoking and poignant coming-of-age story." -TIME
"A sharply observed story of an earnest Asian American activist considering dropping out of college to dedicate himself to organizing . . . the story, both moving and funny, is sure to speak powerfully to the many who struggle to find hope and joy in an unjust world." -Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue
"This book! In Ryan Lee Wong's hard-hitting and witty novel, two generations of Asian American political activists negotiate their relationships with movements, history, L.A., and one another. Wong handles his narrator's earnestness with understated brilliance-especially when he skewers that very same sincerity. Sure to spark conversations." -YZ Chin, Entertainment Weekly
"Told with the witty brio of our narrator's youth, Which Side Are You On marks the arrival of an electric new voice." -Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire
"Wong's book follows two generations of Asian-American activists and examines how they view the world, enact change, and work to find common ground. It's heartbreaking, but at times hilarious. The book knocks down stereotypes given to a community by the media and invites readers in with open arms. It's a book America has needed for a very long time."-Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful
"What does it look like to devote your life to activism? How can you be a good, authentic ally to others? How can you lead a happy life when your life's work is so wrapped up in trauma and systemic oppression? These are some of the big and timely questions that carry us through Ryan Lee Wong's debut . . .You'll feel like you're right there in Los Angeles, a fly on the wall of these important conversations. But this is not a strictly somber novel by any means! It's a wonderful balancing act, tackling serious topics with humor and heart." -Katie Yee, A Literary Hub Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"With empathy plus sighing, cringing, and laughing, Wong provides quite the education for us all." -Booklist
"Full of vibrant characters, this punchy story [...] offers no simple answers to ongoing racial conflicts. The portrait of a sanctimoniou...
