Afterparties by Anthony Viasna So

Monday, Aug. 30, 2021--San Antonio

Afterparties by Anthony Viasna So is a book consisting of a collection of short stories about the lives of Cambodian immigrants living in the Central Valley of California after immigrating to the US following the collapse of the Pol Pot Khmer Rogue regime.  The stories are quite humorous and provide intimate glances into the lives of "Cambos"--both those who have struggled in poverty and those who have lived the American dream of growing wealthy, their traditions, their extended families, etc.  There are connections between the stories--characters who are parts of more than one story although, each story is separate from the others.  The book was recommended by the New York Times.  Unfortunately, the author, a graduate of Stanford University, died of an overdose in 2020.  I gave the book 4 stars out of 5.