REAL AMERICANS  BY RACHEL KHONG
Thursday, Jan 30, 6:30 PM

A mind-bending novel and New York Times bestseller that spans fifty years and three continents exploring issues of race, class, luck, fate, family secrets, the promise and limits of science, the "American experiment," and how actions reverberate throughout generations. Blending literary fiction with a tinge of sci-fi and historical fiction, Real Americans depicts three generations of one family trying to shape their own future and asks the questions, What does it mean to be American? and Are we destined or are we made?
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The novel begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when Lily Chen meets Matthew, heir to the Maier pharmaceutical empire. They fall in love, not knowing that their relationship will resurface decades’ worth of family secrets. Nearly 20 years later, Lily is a single mother raising her son Nick on an isolated Washington island. When Nick sets out to find his biological father, the journey threatens to raise more questions than it provides answers.

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PAIRED WITH: Zinfandel, Six Cloves Wine
​Made by Sonoe Hirabayashi

Zinfandel, Six Cloves Wine,  Castanon Vineyards, Redwood Valley, Mendocino County, 2022

Like the book, this wine tells a generational story, with Japanese woman winemaker Sonoe honoring her family’s heritage in the fermentation business (originally making soy and miso). This Zinfandel from Six Cloves is rich in character, much like the thoughtful exploration of identity and belonging in Rachel Khong’s Real Americans. Just as the book invites readers to sit with and unpack nuanced emotions, this Zinfandel—sourced from organically farmed, red-soiled vineyards in Mendocino County—offers a similarly textured experience, revealing more with each sip.   As you read, the flavors of dark fruits and the firm tannins bring a grounding element to the experience, echoing Khong’s poignant reflections on navigating cultural heritage in a complex world. Together, they make for a pairing that’s both thought-provoking and richly satisfying.

Come purchase your bottle at the bar anytime in January, or order yours online now! Wine will also be available to purchase by the glass during our book club discussion on Thursday, 1/30, with winemaker Sonoe on site to pour the wine!

Zinfandel, Six Cloves Wine

$47.80

ORDER

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024 AT:
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NEW YORK TIMES • WASHINGTON POST • OPRAH DAILY • TODAY • TIME • VULTURE • VOGUE
MARIE CLAIRE • VANITY FAIR • GOOD HOUSEKEEPING • TOWN & COUNTRY • SAN FRANCISCO
CHRONICLE • BUSTLE • THE RUMPUS • ALTA • COSMOPOLITAN • LITHUB • KIRKUS • GOODREADS

“Remarkable…Folded into [Real Americans] are doomed love stories, fancy parties, a subplot about
epigenetics, Chinese people who look white and yummy treats…The book also poses a dizzying array of
questions: What does it mean to be American, and who gets to say who is one?”
—Robert Ito, The New York Times

“A…masterful, shape-shifting novel about multiracial identity…What makes Americans ‘real’? Is it our
competitive drive? Our craving for wealth and status? Our insatiable quest for scientific advancement? Or is
it—inevitably—the color of our skin and eyes?…[Rachel] Khong manages these twisting threads with
masterful deftness…[An] irresistible puzzle of a novel.”—Aimee Liu, Los Angeles Times

“Khong layers the lives of her characters to challenge how well we can really know one another…
[Khong]…captures the feeling of floating in the in-between, not firmly tethered to one pole of identity or
another but instead looking for a way to feel secure in your own space…And that title—Real Americans--
evokes more questions than any single book could answer. What is American, and what is real?”
—Lucy Feldman, TIME