Reviews - A Great Country | The StoryGraph

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376 reviews for:

A Great Country

Shilpi Somaya Gowda

3.9 AVERAGE

serendipitysbooks's review

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

The Aspen Words Literary Prize longlist has delivered another winner. Priya and Ashok Shah migrated to America 20 years ago. They had their struggles, but now their business is successful, and they and their three American born children have just moved into an exclusive and expensive gated community. But any feelings of belonging and having "made it" are soon torn away when their 12 year old son is arrested and suspected of terrorism. This book explores issues of racism, class, immigration, police brutality, and neurodivergence. It's also a family story where coming of age issues, a generational divide, ableism, and the lingering impact of child sexual abuse affect the family dynamics and relationships. This book did a good job highlighting the lack of care and protection given to children in the US justice system. A 12 year old can be held in an adult jail, in a cell with adult prisoners, and interviewed without access to parents or a lawyer? It also clearly depicted the lack of power and agency Ashok and Priya felt, and how quickly this experience tore away their sense of belonging in and acceptance by US society. Being part of the model minority, an immigration success story, was not enough to protect them. I was impressed by the nuanced way the issue of discrimination was handled. The Shahs experienced racism and other forms of discrimination, but the adults were shown to hold prejudiced views of their own, particularly against Blacks and Muslims. The influence of caste in the hiring decisions of Indian owned firms was a minor plot point that added another layer to the exploration of discrimination and prejudice. Finally, I loved that this book included an example of true friendship. Oh, that everyone could have an Archie and Ricky to support them through tough times. The fast pace and tension kept me turning the pages. The ending felt a little too quick and anti-climactic, but that didn't markedly affect my enjoyment.

Content Warnings

juliagracethomas's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 78%

I felt this book was the definition of telling not showing, and was a rushed and surface level exploration of the issues it was trying to shed light on.

cassie_smith's review

4.0

challenging informative mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

An engaging read about the complexities and nuances of America (hint - it's not such a great country)

mariannec's review

4.25

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: No

mamagriff's review

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

A necessary read for all Americans. Things are not always as they seem. Life is complicated, will you be part of the problem or part of the solution? Hopefully this book causes you to think deeply.