The state of America has been in flux throughout its political landscape and beyond. In their newest books, authors Jason Mott, Kevin Nguyen, and Gary Shteyngart tackle everyday discussions plaguing our communities– from gun violence, anti-Asian violence, and the everyday microaggressions and racism that blended families encounter. In People Like Us, two black writers are thrown together in a world that is fraught with gun violence as they navigate loss and longing for a better America. In Mỹ Documents, the lives of four Vietnamese siblings are upended after a violent attack results in the US government detaining Vietnamese Americans in internment camps. In Vera: Or Faith, a half-Jewish, half-Korean ten-year-old serves as the lens through which to view a childhood, family, and friendship in a fractured country as she attempts to track down her birth mother. Moderated by author Manuel Gonzales (The Miniature Wife and other stories).