Rating: 3.5/5 stars

As a pivotal election approaches, Ryan Lee Wong’s “Which Side Are You On,” chosen for this year’s Oswego Reading Initiative, offers a timely reminder of the importance of political engagement. The novel explores key issues such as the legacy of past movements and the struggles of balancing personal and collective responsibility in today’s world.

The novel follows the story of Reed, a young Asian American activist grappling with his identity and role in the fight for social justice. After returning home to Los Angeles, he enters a series of eye-opening conversations with his mother, a former Black-Korean activist who seeks to change her son’s viewpoint on the purpose of social activism. By the novel’s end, Reed is forced to accept the idea that activism is not about revolutionizing the world, but taking accountability and spreading hope. In his own words, “We gather not just to make demands, not to overturn the system, but because we need to grieve together.”

While Wong’s novel offers insightful social commentary on a society where protest and political radicalism are becoming more prevalent, it struggles to create characters that readers can genuinely care about. Authors typically give characters flaws when they undergo significant changes in a story. However, these flaws have to make sense in the eyes of the reader. Reed was given the clear flaw of self-righteousness; his rigid approach to creating social change often led him to dismiss the experiences and perspectives of others, such as those of his mom. 

Reed’s flaw was key to conveying the novel’s message, but it made him hard to like. He had little appreciation for everyday life, constantly criticizing the capitalist evils he saw in everything. Rather than being thankful for his Ivy League education and the fact that he could afford college, he chose to drop out, criticizing the school as a capitalist regime that lacked any real value. 

These flaws could have been forgivable if they had more depth, but as the story unfolded, it became evident that Wong had no plans to give further insight into the origins of Reed’s beliefs. If they had originated from a traumatic event or Reed’s upbringing, readers might have garnered more sympathy for the book’s protagonist. This was not the case. Instead, we learn that Reed’s beliefs stem from his socialist friends in Columbia. This presented an opportunity for Wong to explore Reed’s relationships with them and any potential toxicity, but instead, he relegates these peers to brief mentions and occasional phone calls.

While Reed eventually redeems himself near the end, it takes a long time to get there. Although his insufferable attitude is meant to further the theme, it is a lot for the average reader to put up with. Unfortunately,Wong chooses Reed as the narrator instead of his mother, who unlike Reed, has motivations and reasons behind the way she acts, not to mention an incredible backstory of meaningful racial activism. 

If it were not for the novel’s impeccable prose and racial and familial complexities, the book would have failed to hold the attention of a lot of readers. Reed, although an interesting character who helped develop a meaningful message on social movements, required more fleshing-out by the author. However, the novel is not just about Reed, but about the importance of being present, aware and empathetic in our modern social climate, which is something we can all gain from.

Image from Ryan Lee Wong via ryanleewong.com