Afterparties

Order the book through your local bookstore, online, or check your local library for digital and physical loans.

Context Links

Philosophical, Queer, Angry, Romantic, Defiant: ‘Afterparties’ Contains Multitudes (NPR)
Anthony Veasna So Takes on Trauma, But Doesn’t Leave Out the Jokes (The New Yorker)
A Rising Star’s Career Was Cut Short. His Impact is Just Beginning. (NY Times)
Infinite Self: Anthony Veasna So died unexpectedly last winter, before his debut book was released. Everyone remembers him differently. (Vulture)
Khmer Rouge History (Cambodia Tribunal Monitor)
‘Like becoming a refugee again’: They paid for their crimes. The US deported them anyway. (The Guardian)

Discuss So’s portrayal of Cambodian men in America.
Discuss So’s use of humor in tackling difficult themes. What impact does humor have on these stories?
How does So’s version of the immigrant experience compare with others that we’ve read?
All of the characters are either shaped by or haunted by the Khmer Rouge. Discuss how this affects both the older and younger generations of Cambodian Americans.