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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Gowda packs a lot into this small book about a first generation adolescent boy who gets arrested after trespassing with a drone on airport property. She explores what it means to be an immigrant in this country; the unspoken caste system within the United States; and how even wealth and power can't protect you from the racism that permeates our justice system. This is a fast-moving exploration of a family in turmoil.
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A Great Country was an incredibly well-written, complicated, and heartfelt book that truly had me hooked from beginning to end.
I found it to be a fascinating dissection of the dark reality of being an immigrant in America, where even the title of “model minority” is purely conditional and can be snatched away after the smallest misunderstanding or misstep. Where police brutality becomes expected, and the consequences are minimal. Where we, as third-party spectators, judge and react before understanding the full story. While there are many great things about America, A Great Country did an incredible job showing how quickly the Land of the Free can feel like a prison.
The love and strength of the Shah family were palpable, especially Ashok and Priya’s sacrifices and dedication to their children. Their community and surroundings offered an interesting vantage point, and I found Somaya Gowda’s subtle comparisons between the Shahs’ life and community experiences pre-affluence vs. post-affluence to be thought-provoking. Does money truly buy happiness? Is the big house and fancy school district really the ultimate goal? Equally tangible and frustrating was the stress they felt navigating the legal process and fallout after their son’s arrest.
This would be an incredible book club pick. The entire time I was reading, I couldn’t help but grapple with countless questions that I could picture initiatating so many great conversations and debates. From A Great Country’s insights on the American Dream and whether it is truly accessible, to grappling with the Indian caste system and whether one can truly escape “destiny,” to the pursuit of wealth and its impact on community, police brutality, the inefficiencies of the judicial system, and whether someone is truly innocent until proven guilty in this country—the opportunities for discussion are nearly endless.
I will say the ending of A Great Country felt a bit rushed and Disney-fied for me, but as a whole, I found this novel to be incredibly engaging and thought-provoking.
I found it to be a fascinating dissection of the dark reality of being an immigrant in America, where even the title of “model minority” is purely conditional and can be snatched away after the smallest misunderstanding or misstep. Where police brutality becomes expected, and the consequences are minimal. Where we, as third-party spectators, judge and react before understanding the full story. While there are many great things about America, A Great Country did an incredible job showing how quickly the Land of the Free can feel like a prison.
The love and strength of the Shah family were palpable, especially Ashok and Priya’s sacrifices and dedication to their children. Their community and surroundings offered an interesting vantage point, and I found Somaya Gowda’s subtle comparisons between the Shahs’ life and community experiences pre-affluence vs. post-affluence to be thought-provoking. Does money truly buy happiness? Is the big house and fancy school district really the ultimate goal? Equally tangible and frustrating was the stress they felt navigating the legal process and fallout after their son’s arrest.
This would be an incredible book club pick. The entire time I was reading, I couldn’t help but grapple with countless questions that I could picture initiatating so many great conversations and debates. From A Great Country’s insights on the American Dream and whether it is truly accessible, to grappling with the Indian caste system and whether one can truly escape “destiny,” to the pursuit of wealth and its impact on community, police brutality, the inefficiencies of the judicial system, and whether someone is truly innocent until proven guilty in this country—the opportunities for discussion are nearly endless.
I will say the ending of A Great Country felt a bit rushed and Disney-fied for me, but as a whole, I found this novel to be incredibly engaging and thought-provoking.
This book asks about the possibility and price of the American dream.
Ashok and Priya Shah immigrated to the U.S. from India almost two decades earlier. By working hard, they’ve achieved success, having recently moved to an affluent gated community in southern California. Deepa, the eldest daughter, insists on staying at her old school with its multi-ethnic students, including her best friend Paco whose mother is undocumented. However, Maya, the middle child, loves her new school and strives to be accepted by her wealthy classmates.
One day, twelve-year-old Ajay, the youngest child, flies his homemade drone near an airport and is beaten and arrested as a terrorism suspect. Because he is on the autism spectrum, though not diagnosed, his reactions complicate the situation. As the Shahs struggle with the upheaval in their lives, the community at large becomes aware of Ajay’s arrest and the response is not always positive.
Multiple viewpoints are given. The perspectives of Ashok, Priya, Deepa, and Maya are included regularly so we get to know them really well and understand their actions. Ajay’s thoughts are also given occasionally, as are those of one of the arresting police officers.
The Shahs see themselves as model immigrants. Well-educated, they’ve worked hard and become upstanding citizens: “they were a law-abiding, tax-paying family who had followed every single rule since arriving in the country with a proper visa and legal invitation to come.” Despite their success and efforts not to draw attention to themselves, they encounter prejudice. Ashok thinks about India “where the complex strictures of caste, privilege, and socioeconomic class were [difficult] to escape,” but he realizes he has exchanged these constraints “for the new challenges of being a visible minority and an obvious foreigner.” He concludes, “America had its own version of a caste system – some visible minorities were on the bottom, hampered by discrimination and historical disadvantages, a constant headwind against their efforts.”
So the novel questions whether it is possible for immigrants to achieve the American dream: “Is America truly a country where people can come from around the world to seek their version of the American dream, or a place where ancient biases and discrimination continue to reign?” The Shahs belong to a “model minority” considered “smart and knowledgeable” and they have “managed to ascend to a higher rung,” but events show that they are not totally accepted. It’s as if the message is “thus far and no further.”
Of course, there are also questions about the meaning of success. Ashok in particular thinks in terms of economic success, but he and Priya come to realize that material trappings do not guarantee happiness. The family receives more support from outsiders and the middle-class community in which they lived previously.
One aspect of the book that bothered me is that it borders on being didactic. Some of the conversations so obviously touch on topics like immigration and racism: “’When a community starts becoming successful, that is when the backlash starts.’” Then there are statements like, “A country whose global advantage was its diversity born of immigration was turning its back on what had made it great.” And a character’s thoughts become a history lesson: “[Deepa’s] parents didn’t bother trying to see what life was like for Black people in this country, to understand the legacy of slavery and how it had reverberated through centuries of life in America: Jim Crow, voter suppression, redlined districts, underfunded public schools. Entire communities had been neglected when it came to infrastructure, from safe drinking water to access to fresh food and health care.”
Touching on themes of immigration, community, social class, stereotyping, racial profiling, white privilege, upward mobility, and generational conflict, this is a timely book with an important message.
Note: I received a digital galley from publishers via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
Ashok and Priya Shah immigrated to the U.S. from India almost two decades earlier. By working hard, they’ve achieved success, having recently moved to an affluent gated community in southern California. Deepa, the eldest daughter, insists on staying at her old school with its multi-ethnic students, including her best friend Paco whose mother is undocumented. However, Maya, the middle child, loves her new school and strives to be accepted by her wealthy classmates.
One day, twelve-year-old Ajay, the youngest child, flies his homemade drone near an airport and is beaten and arrested as a terrorism suspect. Because he is on the autism spectrum, though not diagnosed, his reactions complicate the situation. As the Shahs struggle with the upheaval in their lives, the community at large becomes aware of Ajay’s arrest and the response is not always positive.
Multiple viewpoints are given. The perspectives of Ashok, Priya, Deepa, and Maya are included regularly so we get to know them really well and understand their actions. Ajay’s thoughts are also given occasionally, as are those of one of the arresting police officers.
The Shahs see themselves as model immigrants. Well-educated, they’ve worked hard and become upstanding citizens: “they were a law-abiding, tax-paying family who had followed every single rule since arriving in the country with a proper visa and legal invitation to come.” Despite their success and efforts not to draw attention to themselves, they encounter prejudice. Ashok thinks about India “where the complex strictures of caste, privilege, and socioeconomic class were [difficult] to escape,” but he realizes he has exchanged these constraints “for the new challenges of being a visible minority and an obvious foreigner.” He concludes, “America had its own version of a caste system – some visible minorities were on the bottom, hampered by discrimination and historical disadvantages, a constant headwind against their efforts.”
So the novel questions whether it is possible for immigrants to achieve the American dream: “Is America truly a country where people can come from around the world to seek their version of the American dream, or a place where ancient biases and discrimination continue to reign?” The Shahs belong to a “model minority” considered “smart and knowledgeable” and they have “managed to ascend to a higher rung,” but events show that they are not totally accepted. It’s as if the message is “thus far and no further.”
Of course, there are also questions about the meaning of success. Ashok in particular thinks in terms of economic success, but he and Priya come to realize that material trappings do not guarantee happiness. The family receives more support from outsiders and the middle-class community in which they lived previously.
One aspect of the book that bothered me is that it borders on being didactic. Some of the conversations so obviously touch on topics like immigration and racism: “’When a community starts becoming successful, that is when the backlash starts.’” Then there are statements like, “A country whose global advantage was its diversity born of immigration was turning its back on what had made it great.” And a character’s thoughts become a history lesson: “[Deepa’s] parents didn’t bother trying to see what life was like for Black people in this country, to understand the legacy of slavery and how it had reverberated through centuries of life in America: Jim Crow, voter suppression, redlined districts, underfunded public schools. Entire communities had been neglected when it came to infrastructure, from safe drinking water to access to fresh food and health care.”
Touching on themes of immigration, community, social class, stereotyping, racial profiling, white privilege, upward mobility, and generational conflict, this is a timely book with an important message.
Note: I received a digital galley from publishers via NetGalley.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
Between 4 and 5 stars for this one. This was engrossing, unfortunately, because of the nature of Ajay’s story. I really appreciated that the author included the perspectives of all the Shah family members to show how they interpreted and were affected by Ajay’s arrest. I love immigrant stories, but more often than not, you’re left feeling frustrated that things still aren’t better…and that was the case here. So much to contend with, so much to live up to, and so much that will prevent you from ever achieving the equal footing that all of your accolades should (on paper) afford you.
It did feel like the author piled on a bit in terms of the issues/habits/vices that befell the Shah kids (and everything coming to a head on the exact same night was a bit much), but I get that her intention was to shed light on all that the next generation grapples with. Still, it made the story feel slightly less plausible. Overall, I really loved this one, fell in love with the Shahs and their awesome BFFs, and could have even lived a little longer in this world. Definitely perfect for anyone who enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere.
It did feel like the author piled on a bit in terms of the issues/habits/vices that befell the Shah kids (and everything coming to a head on the exact same night was a bit much), but I get that her intention was to shed light on all that the next generation grapples with. Still, it made the story feel slightly less plausible. Overall, I really loved this one, fell in love with the Shahs and their awesome BFFs, and could have even lived a little longer in this world. Definitely perfect for anyone who enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes