June 5th, 2023

1. What is the book? 
          Which Side Are You On
2. Who wrote it?
          Ryan Lee Wong
3. What is it about?
          A socially conscious young man comes back home from university for the impending death of his grandmother, and feels
          burdened with letting his parents know of his impending decision to drop out of school. He gets an education on his
          parents’ activism during a tumultuous time in Los Angeles that helps inform what is important to him in his own
          activism.
4. Why did I read it?
          I read Which Side Are You On because I enjoy getting to know aspects of history and culture, even ones I’m most familiar
          with, from different perspectives. The title alludes to the harmful habit humans have of choosing a myopic view of ideas,
          people, and the world because it is comforting and engenders a sense of loyalty.
5. What do I think?
          Wong does a great job embodying his characters with attributes, at turns endearing and annoying, that help give them
          individuality. Which Side Are You On reads at times like a young adult novel due in part to some of the themes broached,
          and in part because the main character, Reed, is a young adult. What is unique and worthwhile is that the nuanced parts
          treat social justice work, the racial dynamics of the Los Angeles uprising following the Rodney King verdict in 1992 and
          its aftermath, and Asian American identity politics as the complex issues they are.

          Which Side Are You On is told in the first-person, from the perspective of a young man, Reed. His name is apt, as reeds can
          be utilized as weapons, writing instruments, and musical conduits, among other things. Reeds are pliable when young,
          and they produce both sonorous and cacophonous notes by the force of wind that vibrates all around them. Reed the
          character is at times stiff and sharp in his convictions, like the tip of an arrow. He also has agency and uses his voice to
          support his convictions, like a pen wielded by an artist. Like a reed in a musical instrument that sounds when wind runs
          through, Reed is buffeted on all sides by varying influences, emitting poignant and grating sounds depending on the
          force of said influences.

          The title is noteworthy because of the change of tone that is enacted through one subtle omission, which is the question
          mark at the end. “Which side are you on?” implies an open-endedness, setting an inquisitive tone, perhaps in an attempt
          to start a conversation in search of common ground or allyship. Without the question mark, “Which side are you on” is
          more rhetorical, suggesting a more rigid, nearly accusatory, stance. I think that Reed starts out with the latter tone, but by
          the end of the novel he finds that things are not as simple as right and wrong. Which side am I on, regarding Wong’s
          debut? While not in my all-time top ten, I found it to be a worthwhile read.  

You can place a hold on your copy of the book by clicking on the cover below: