Book Review: Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong

My Rating:3.5⭐

This novel is set against the backdrop of the case of the fatal shooting of Akai Gurley by Asian American cop Peter Liang, which sparked protests in 2015-16 –with Asian American groups protesting on behalf of Liang stating that that the shooting was unintentional (the bullet ricocheted off a wall to fatally injure Gurley) and that Liang was being made a “scapegoat” for several white police officers guilty of violence against Black men. Many Asian Americans however joined BLM counter-protests supporting action against police brutality against Black people. Our protagonist, twenty–one–year–old Reed, a student at Columbia University and the child of a Korean American mother and Chinese American father returns home to Los Angeles to visit his ailing grandmother. Reed is currently actively engaged in the BLM movement protesting the shooting of Akai Gurley. He is fired up, motivated and seriously considering dropping out of college to take on a full- time role with the movement against social injustice.

While on a mission to gather stories of Black-Asian solidarity from his parent’s experiences as activists who were a part of the Black-Korean Coalition initiative in 1980s Los Angeles, which he is eager to share with his activist community, Reed is made to confront his own beliefs, the strength of his convictions and his interpretation of activism as opposed to that of his parent's generation.

“ ‘You’re smart enough to know the difference between performing politics and living them.”

“That’s not how it is anymore,” I said. “How you show up in the world is also how you change it. How you talk about the movement is the movement.’ ”

As the narrative progresses, Reed learns more about his parents’ life and times, the events that shaped their convictions, and the impact their activism had on the family. The author references several true events from that period, combining fact and fiction to weave a compelling narrative. Much of the narrative is shared through conversations between Reed and his parents (mostly his mother). In Reed, the author depicts a young idealist who though well-intentioned is immature and influenced by his peers and seems to be enthralled with the idea of activism to the extent that he considers it his calling and is in the process of sacrificing his academics. His understanding of his parents’ motivations, conviction and dedication to their cause is superficial at best. But as the narrative progresses he begins to see his parents in a different light and grasp what it means to be dedicated to a cause and what that means for him going forward. I found Reed’s mother to be a very interesting character and while Reed does come across as annoying with his preachy “wokeness” at times, I did like his willingness to look inwards, listen to what was being said, and learn from his experiences.

Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong is a well-written debut that tackles sensitive and important issues with compassion, wisdom and humor. This is not a lengthy read which makes it easy to get through, given the subject matter and the author keeps the narrative moving at a consistent pace. Overall, I found this to be a thought-provoking read that is timely and relevant.