While I enjoyed the themes of community and of overcoming cultural barriers, I was bothered by a few things that were, at best, racially insensitive. The most glaring example in my mind is simply this: What does Paul Fleischman, a white man, know about being a person of color? Or an immigrant, or a woman? He seems like the wrong person to tell this story. I was also bothered by the white character who felt like it was his responsibility to help people of different cultures and backgrounds come together, and by the chapter about a Korean woman that was written entirely in broken English. The comment one character made about seeing people do more than live off welfare was pretty tone-deaf, too.

The writing was truly gorgeous at times, and for being no more than a compilation of interconnected vignettes with no real plot to speak of, this book was surprisingly compelling. I think in many ways, it hit its mark in illustrating the meaning of community and the power of coming together. But because of its racial and cultural sensitivity issues, I can’t in good conscience give this more than three stars.