Welcome to Litsy!

A random selection from my TBR - probably inspired by your review @vivastory 🙌 Ive been reading this slowly since Christmas. It is tumultuous, vibrant, both sweet and sickening, opening glimpses into lives that can be in turmoil or at a crossroads or just surviving. These are stories of second generation Cambodian Americans for the most part. Living with their parents‘ generation of survivors and their unfathomable trauma. ⬇️

I don‘t love short stories.

Another one off my shelf. Let‘s do this!

A series of short stories detailing the lives of Cambodian Americans in Central California.

So has a particular talent for making characters that are so vivid and real. Even as there are parts where I smiled and laughed, we can also feel the grief permeating the stories as each generation tries to deal with their particular burdens; escaping genocide and building new lives in an entirely foreign country. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

Packs a punch. So‘s writing is dark, funny and heartbreaking. Stories immersed in the world of Cambodian immigrants and Cambodia-American culture. Stories explore how generational trauma, fleeing genocide affect and reflect in the next generation. He explores growing up queer in an uprooted immigrant family already dealing with “being different.” Very autobiographical. ⬇️

The final story in the collection ends with this passage, "But for me, your mother, just remember that, for better or worse, we can be described as saviors. Okay? Know that we've always kept on living. What else could we have done?" These words are emblematic of much of the tone behind So's debut collection. Populated by Asian immigrants, primarily Khmers, the characters are a mix of hard living but well meaning & those whose parents have ?

I never thought I'd be this enamored by a story involving badminton. The power of fiction.

Vibrant, loosely interconnected short stories about Cambodian immigrants in Stockton, California, based on the gay author‘s own experiences. Intergenerational trauma, the support of a close-knit community, the desire to be seen as an individual, the oddities of human nature, the beautiful and the ugly sides within each of us, sexual desire, addictions, laughter… it‘s all here in full living colour. #LGBTQ

Monica‘s tightly wound locks fed a mess of frozen curls sitting on her head like an alien leech controlling her mind.

(Internet photo)

Equipping teenagers to sniff out the nonsense of society, I told myself, that was the logic behind this new curriculum. I wanted my students to understand the doomed nature of Ahab‘s hunt for Moby Dick, the profound calm of Ishmael‘s aimless wandering, the difference between having “purpose” like Ahab, and finding “meaning” like Ishmael. I thought my students should learn the best ways to be lost.

Who cares about our family? What have they ever done but keep us alive only to make us feel like shit?

…it became obvious I wasn‘t, you know, a normal boy, that I was a girly wimp who despised sports and watched weird movies. I was a precocious freak who came out before puberty, and I was clearly doomed. It‘s hard enough for people like us, my mom would say. All very cliché, in that gay sob story kind of way, but I can‘t explain it any better than that. They are my immigrant parents.

👍👍🙌🙌

Short stories about the Cambodian diaspora community in central California, and how the next generation can be shaped by trauma.

This was a great collection of a series of short stories that explored the Cambodian experience in the United States. It was a thought provoking series of short stories about pain, loss, family, culture and how America has influenced all of that. Overall, excellent audiobook. #TOB22

@StayCurious I got my package today! Woo hoo #LLVDS

This collection of short stories was enlightening for me. I listened to the audio and I feel the narrator being Cambodian American really added a depth to So's stories. His accent and pace felt authentic to the characters and setting.

The opening story is by far my favorite. I was blown away by it. Others were just okay, but overall it's a solid collection from a fresh new voice in literature.

“But for me, your mother, just remember that, for better or worse, we can be described as survivors. Okay? Know that we‘ve always kept on living. What else could we have done?”
Finishing up my #bookspin book & watching the championship game. I liked this one, but I didn‘t love it. It‘s an important read, I just didn‘t fully connect to it. Plus, short stories often aren‘t my thing. Looking forward to more reading now that football is almost over.

I get why this collection has garnered such rave reviews—it‘s engaging, informative, & illuminates the lives of Cambodian Americans vividly & with obvious affection. None of the stories are bad, some are okay, many are quite good but several stood out & I did have my favorites—‘Three Women of Chuck‘s Donuts‘ & ‘The Shop‘ come to mind. I expect I will reread those in the future. Recommended.

Book review, power outage edition! This book was really a mixed bag for me. Some of these stories were absolutely phenomenal, while others were not as good and almost throw-aways, which bogged down the book for me. But man, the good ones are amazing.

I just tried this on audio but had the bail after only a few minutes. The narrator pronounced ‘the‘ as ‘vuh‘ and the word ‘booth‘ (as in a cafeteria booth) as ‘boof‘. I couldn‘t cope!

I hadn‘t checked my actual real-life library for any #ToB books, only Libby and Scribd, and it seems they have a few. This is one of them although it‘s on loan for the next few weeks, but at least I can read a hard copy and pronounce words properly in my head! 🤣

Looking through the NYT list of 100 Notable Books, I realized I had more than one on my shelves. Picked the tagged book to read first.

One strange thing about me (of mannyyyy 😆) is I don‘t enjoy short story collections but I do love a collection of essays. I think of them as very different but when listening to this book I often found myself getting into the groove as if this was a collection of autobiographical details of an individual‘s (Veasna So) life as if it WERE a collection of essays. All of this to say that I enjoyed this debut which has a great sense of place. #ToB22

Exuberant, driving short stories set in Cambodian American communities in Cali. A voice that‘s both so big & performative & funny AND vulnerable & grief-stricken. Generational trauma, drug abuse, bankruptcy, domestic violence, genocide AND queer joy, badminton, Mariah Carey, reincarnation. Some truly beautiful observations from 2nd gen American on Cambodian history & family grief. Urgency of voice, a voice I wish we could have heard more of. 2021

Here is my first read from the Tournament of Books 2022 long list!

Afterparties is very strong in voice, stories flitting between Cambodian American characters in Stockton, CA. A lot about family, identity, sexuality, and generational difference (one coming from a genocide, one being lazy in the suburbs.) ↘️

I am so heartbroken! But also moved. I loved this so much.

4🌟A posthumous debut, AFTERPARTIES is an impressive and moving collection of interconnected stories about the lives of Cambodian Americans. I found Veasna So's writing very singular and affecting. The way he expressed intergenerational trauma especially unspoken traumas was so well done. I havent read any works of fiction that achieved this on the level So did. It's so unfortunate we wont get to read more of his work. #bookreview #bookblogger

I loved this amazing short story collection by Anthony Veasna So. Published posthumously, this is a poignant, funny, and beautiful glimpse into the lives of Cambodian Americans.

Full review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUoBU1lldq4/?utm_medium=copy_link

A series of short stories about the Cambodian American experience near the Bay Area. From drunken youths planning on sabotaging a wedding, a working class family who own a doughnut shop, a queer relationship, or the final connection of midwife who survived the Khmer Rouge, each story is an honest and raw insight into a forgotten culture. Sadly, the author passed away before the celebration of his debut which had garnered praise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ So tragic that this author passed away last year. As is evident with this posthumously published collection, he had so much to share. The son of Khmer immigrants who fled their home during the Cambodian genocide, So draws on his experiences growing up Cambodian American in California. The first story was my favorite, but it‘s a pretty well-rounded collection. PS. Some of the sexy time was a bit graphic for my taste, but that‘s subjective.

On pain days, we drink coffee and eat sugary cereal while we read short fiction. And we wish we had a doughnut, because the first story in this collection is set in a doughnut shop and we‘re super suggestible when it comes to food.

This short story collection examines Cambodian-American life in California‘s Central Valley. It was hit-or-miss for me. It started off strong with Three Women of Chuck‘s Donuts, and I enjoyed the other looks into Cambo work life in The Shop and Human Development. The linked stories following Maly and her great aunt, Ma Eng, were just okay. Since it‘s a story collection, I‘ll probably reread someday and feel differently! 😂 Mild pick today. #botm

Today‘s book mail…

Eh, not thrilled with the August picks. I decided to take a chance on Damnation Spring and Afterparties is my free birthday month add on. 😊 And both covers are 👌 #botm