Which Side Are You On

Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Named a Best Book by NPR, Bustle, Debutiful, and more Library Journal, A Most Anticipated Fall Debut The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year "Wong’s main characters are wonderfully crafted and deeply human in their fallibility . . . Wong blends the backdrop of L.A. artfully and meaningfully into the novel . . . At its best, which it frequently is, Which Side Are You On bears the distinction of telling a story for and of our times, asking difficult, but necessary, questions of its narrator and readers alongside him." —Jung Yun, The Washington Post "A thought-provoking and poignant coming-of-age story." —TIME "Ryan Lee Wong has taken on the challenge of writing a self-aware, critical version of the protest novel with his debut Which Side Are You On—a slim work that is literally about protests and activism, that manages to interrogate both the rigidity of movements and the complacency that can find its way into them . . . Which Side Are You On takes racial justice and the need for activism seriously [and] charts how the real work of activism comes not from merely announcing what you stand for and against, but from empathy grounded in understanding how much you still have to learn." —Kristen Martin, The New Republic "A sharply observed story of an earnest Asian American activist considering dropping out of college to dedicate himself to organizing . . . the story, both moving and funny, is sure to speak powerfully to the many who struggle to find hope and joy in an unjust world." —Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue "A blistering send-up of youthful pretension and pseudo-activism . . . Wong’s pace is quick and dialogue driven and actually in the service of a moving coming-of-age tale . . . An assured debut novel that gets at the heart of why saying the right thing—hell, even doing the right thing—isn’t always enough." —J. Howard Rosier, Vulture “This book! In Ryan Lee Wong's hard-hitting and witty novel, two generations of Asian American political activists negotiate their relationships with movements, history, L.A., and one another. Wong handles his narrator's earnestness with understated brilliance—especially when he skewers that very same sincerity. Sure to spark conversations.” —YZ Chin, Entertainment Weekly "Told with the witty brio of our narrator’s youth, Which Side Are You On marks the arrival of an electric new voice." —Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire "Wong handles the characterization of Reed perfectly to make the novel fun to read. He puts Reed's social justice jargon-laden thoughts in dialogue, never in narration. Other characters challenge Reed's ideas and make fun of his vocabulary. This introduces playfulness to a story with heavy themes, and allows Reed to grow toward an authentic moment of transformation as he realizes there usually isn't just one right side to be on." —Jenny Shank, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) "Extremely important . . . A great novel about what it means to be an activist, what it means to be a son, what it means to be an American . . . This is the beginning of a stellar career." —WAMC The Roundtable "A delightfully laid-back debut." —Hua Hsu, Bookforum "It’s heartbreaking, but at times hilarious. The book knocks down stereotypes given to a community by the media and invites readers in with open arms. It’s a book America has needed for a very long time." —Debutiful "Using electric dialogue, Wong gives the narrative its forward momentum, and expands its scope across time and generations by raising questions of morality and social responsibility in the face of injustice and priv