gifted by Ecco Books

SONGS is a collection of So's unfinished fiction, Straight Thru Cambotown, interspersed with previously published essays. With So's signature style blending cultural criticism and Cambodian diaspora with humor and sarcasm, both the fiction and essays left a strong impression on me.

In Straight Thru Cambotown, the readers follow three Cambodian-American cousins after the death of their aunt Ming Peou. Struggling to find their "place" in the world, each of the three characters converge in their hometown as Ming Peou's funeral takes place. I particularly love the emphasis on how it's up to Cambodian women to keep the community together, to pass down wisdom, and to raise the next generation—since the Cambodian genocide killed most (good) men.

So's essays are equally unique, thought-provoking, and insightful. Deep Reality examines how the new generation of reality TV repackages themselves as "woke" yet fails to promote meaningful changes because of the emphasis on being "nice/friendly/polite" and resolving complex issues into bite-sized episodes.

A Year in Reading follows So's ruminations of seeking literature that encourages dialogues and collaboration, instead of a one-sided narrative/lecture. It's a short but powerful essay that has me reexamining my relationship with literature and inspires me to seek out literature that will "radicalize" me.

So remembers his poet friend from grad school who died of suicide in Baby Yeah. With heartful & vulnerable writing, So takes the readers through all the messy feelings after a profound loss—grief, anger, and guilt, and reflects on his own mortality.

Per Jonathan Dee's foreword, SONGS is a reminder not of what could have been but what has already been achieved by a literary powerhouse like So. May he rest in power