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The Wangs Vs. the World
The Wangs Vs. the World | Jade Chang
A hilarious debut novel about a wealthy but fractured Chinese immigrant family that had it all, only to lose every last cent and about the road trip they take across America that binds them back together Charles Wang is mad at America. A brash, lovable immigrant businessman who built a cosmetics empire and made a fortune, he s just been ruined by the financial crisis. Now all Charles wants is to get his kids safely stowed away so that he can go to China and attempt to reclaim his family sancestral lands and his pride.Charles pulls Andrew, his aspiring comedian son, and Grace, his style-obsessed daughter, out of schools he can no longer afford. Together with their stepmother, Barbra, they embark on a cross-country road trip from their foreclosed Bel-Air home to the upstate New York hideout of the eldest daughter, disgraced art world it-girl Saina. But with his son waylaid by a temptress in New Orleans, his wife ready to defect for a set of 1,000-thread-count sheets, and an epic smash-up in North Carolina, Charles may have to choose between the old world and the new, between keeping his family intact and finally fulfilling his dream of starting anew in China.Outrageously funny and full of charm, "The Wangs vs. the World" is an entirely fresh look at what it means to belong in America and how going from glorious riches to (still name-brand) rags brings one family together in a way money never could."
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Susanita
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1. Can I like both? 😀
2. I like the depth of a single perspective and the variety of multiple perspectives.
3. Tagged book has its flaws, but there‘s at least one #laughoutloud funny scene. It‘s a family saga/road trip/rich people problems story that even has a chapter narrated by the car.

#bookmoods
#Sundayfunday

BookmarkTavern Of course you can like both! 😁 Thank for you sharing! 💙 2y
Eggs Thank you 🏷 💕 2y
30 likes2 comments
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marleed
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Mehso-so

This is billed as a humorous immigrant story, but scored low on both GR and Litsy. It was on my shelves and I like immigrant stories, but alas, my opinion does not lift the rating. By chapter 3 it was a pan (teenage suicide ideology just isn‘t funny), but I hung in there and became mildly interested in the Wang family road trip.

janeycanuck I read this ages ago and if I remember, it‘s a story with humourous moments NOT a humourous story. I hate when the humour is overhyped in something. 3y
marleed @janeycanuck oh you are so right about humorous moments vs humor. 3y
janeycanuck @marleed Drives me nuts when a book is billed as humour when it really only has a few little bits of it. It‘s fine to have moments, it doesn‘t all have to be funny! 3y
74 likes3 comments
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Kempfme
Pickpick

I‘m not crying, you are the one crying.

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Gayan
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I have been in such a reading slump since I lost my Daddy in October. I hope this brings me out of it

thegirlwiththelibrarybag Sorry to hear about your loss. 4y
Curiouser_and_curiouser So sorry for your loss 💙 4y
monkeygirlsmama ((hugs)) 4y
Gayan Thank you all. I know last year was tough on everyone. ❤️ 4y
Reviewsbylola I‘m so sorry. I can‘t imagine. 💕 4y
23 likes5 comments
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ontheBL
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Pickpick

Most of us can't relate to losing an international cosmetics corporation or a trust fund. But most can relate to feeling like we're facing off against the world. The Wangs are doing all of the above. In Jade Chang's The Wangs vs. The World, after losing everything Charles Wang packs up his entire family in his dead first wife's 1980's Mercedes. https://onthebl.org/2020/09/23/relatable-millionaires-in-jade-changs-the-wangs-v...

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CandiReadsBooks
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Look what I found when I left work today! One of Book of the Month‘s October 2016 books by Jade Chang: The Wangs vs the World | BTW: The cover is different than what is offered via BOTM

* Definitely can‘t wait to start reading

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jouleian
Panpan

I don't really know where to start with this one except maybe Charles deserves most everything that happened to him. And the book gets to be a bit thick and hard to trudge thru. Its well written but there is too much detail and not enough story. #wouldnotrecommend ⭐⭐⭐

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BookNAround
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Mehso-so

The American Dream ends in the ashes of a cosmetics empire kicking off this road trip novel. People who like dysfunctional rich people novels will probably like this although the humor didn‘t really land for me and I struggled to care much about the characters. Full review at https://booknaround.blogspot.com/2020/01/review-wangs-vs-world-by-jade-chang.htm...

mcctrish The book didn‘t live up to the cover imo 5y
65 likes1 comment
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derr.liz
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What guides your life decisions? Money? Career? Love? Family? The past? The future? Or some combination of these?

10 likes1 stack add
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Booksnob
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Had a great book club discussion on this one. Great characters and a great plot. Very enjoyable.

16 likes1 stack add
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TheHeartlandBookFairy
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Mehso-so

Meh. I just didn't get it. This book has been lingering on my TBR stack for a couple of years and I finally got to it. Billed as "heartbreaking and hilarious. Funny brash and honest full of wit, heart and smarts." personally I did not find this at all hilarious & only slightly heartbreaking. Honest? Probably but not witty. Just my opinion but I feel like this book was seriously over hyped. It probably raised my expectations unfairly. Just meh ?

MrBook Great review! 5y
22 likes1 comment
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Tiltedwhirled
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Pickpick

A complicated family drama with little resolution

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ashsbookmarks
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Red & gold was my theme while looking for books at my thrift store today, I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ been wanting The Wangs, but has anyone read House of Thieves?!? It sounded interesting 🤓
#bookstagrammer #bookobsessed #bookhoarder #bookstagram #bookaholic #morebooks #bookish #bookishlove #books #thriftstorebooks #thriftstorefinds #TheWangs #HouseofThieves

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msmckinney
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I‘m trying to intentionally read more books by authors of color! SUPER excited about this one. Do y‘all have any suggestions?

Texreader Have you read any of Octavia Butler‘s books? I loved soft sci-fi, historical fiction 6y
msmckinney @Texreader I just finished Kindred and loved it!! I‘ll definitely be exploring more of her books! 6y
Reggie Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni- anything by her, Ana Castillo- Sapagonia and Peel My Love Like an Onion, Julia Alvarez-In the Name of Salome, Dolan Perkins Valdez-Wench 6y
msmckinney @Reggie Thank you!! 6y
19 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Butterfinger
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@CareBear @phatsallylee @Chelleo thank you. I love being a part of the #jb group.

I may be wrong, but I think the show Fresh off the Boat is based on the book.

CareBear Oh, I love that show! 6y
31 likes1 comment
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CareBear
Bailedbailed

Maybe it‘s just where I am in life right now but after reading a page and a half of the teenage daughter discussing multiple ways to commit suicide, ultimately concluding that “OD‘ing on heroin or something would be the best way of all,” I‘m done. 💔

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msmckinney
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Traveling in San Francisco for the break and found the cutest used book store! So excited for these reads while I celebrate this FIVE day weekend 🙌🏾

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thebookmagpie
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@Oryx thank you soooo much! I had a suspicion you were my Santa but I am blown away with how good your choices were 💕merry Christmas to you and yours... and I hope you enjoy your #stuffedstockingswap 😉

Avanders ♥️🎄❄️💙🥰 6y
Oryx You're welcome! I was excited to see The Enchanted on your tbr, as it's one I thought was fantastic. Hope you enjoy it. ♥️ 6y
51 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

Charles Wang became wealthy after moving to the US from China but has now lost everything in the Great Recession. We follow his travels across the country as he and his family grapple with their new circumstances. I feel this book would have benefited from some editing and I‘m frustrated by the ending, but Chang does a great job of showing realistic family dynamics and a non-white experience in the US.

#dogsofLitsy #Gunther

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KaraDunn
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Pickpick

This has been on my radar for awhile now - finally picked it up to read during a long flight. A funny and bittersweet novel about a family‘s fall from riches to rags in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crises.

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Gabuchi
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Evening read 💄 🕶 💄

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Joanne1
Pickpick

This was a quirky, funny road trip across America story and I really enjoyed the experience. I loved the Wang's with all their fault and foibles. My only criticism was that it was a bit too slow moving in several spots, the story losing momentum or getting bogged down. Thankfully it picked up and a loved the ending.

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Joanne1
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Spending this cold and rainy day stocking up the freezer in preparation for starting full time work next week (with a 1 hour commute each way) and finishing off this book.

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Literary_Siren
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Bailedbailed

I just can‘t connect to the characters and I don‘t at all enjoy her writing style. #DNF

Rachbb3 I bailed on this one too for the same reason. 6y
pgh.femme I bailed on this pretty quickly! 6y
Ruthiella I read it to the end but think you‘re right to bail. It was ultimately just OK. 6y
112 likes3 comments
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CherryPie
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Bailedbailed

Dislike this short. Removing the Wangs from Mt. TBR.

Literary_Siren I bailed on the Wangs. I don‘t like her writing style at all! 6y
18 likes2 comments
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Joanne1
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And back to Melbourne on the train this time on a chilly Monday morning.
After s bit of a slow start I'm loving my time with the Wang's.

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Joanne1
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And on the way home again....

Drnkpnkprincess I love this cover.. the other one doesn‘t speak to me 6y
Joanne1 @Drnkpnkprincess I agree. When I saw it on here I was not impressed at all. We often get different covers in Australia to the US. 6y
66 likes2 comments
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Joanne1
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Company while I'm on the train.

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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

Really good! A bit of a slow start for me but when they got to New Orleans, it was hard to put down. Different, funny, and heartwarming, this family adventure story takes the reader through time and space in the most wonderful of ways! #botm #MountTBR

JamieArc Gorgeous dog! 6y
Tamra That look is familiar! 😆 6y
68 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Literary_Siren
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Another book in my #BoTMChallenge with a low rating. 😕🤷🏻‍♀️ Oh well, here we go! 🤦🏻‍♀️

TheFunkyBookworm Good luck! 🍀📚 6y
Shadowfat I thought it was good but I had to push through some of the slower parts. 6y
See All 12 Comments
teenangstlives What's the BOTM challenge? I am too old for hip hashtags lol 6y
Literary_Siren @Shadowfat the first chapter almost had me placing it back on the shelf. 🙄 6y
Literary_Siren @teenangstlives I just challenged myself to read all my Book of the Month Club books. I‘ve been a member for 2 years and haven‘t read a single book I picked. So for June and July I‘ll be reading nothing but those books, with possibly a few non-BoTM books thrown in as I can be very impatient sometimes. 6y
teenangstlives @Literary_Siren Thank you!! I am really trying to make my TBR and Read list AT LEAST 50/50 this year! 6y
RadicalReader @Literary_Siren what‘s your favorite video games to play and on what system? 6y
Literary_Siren @RadicalReader Zelda on Nintendo. Uncharted, TombRaider on PlayStation. 6y
kellyann28 @Literary_Siren Thanks for all the love, and so cool to see another reader/gamer/Mom like me! 😄 6y
Literary_Siren @teenangstlives awesome!! 🤘🏻 6y
Trashcanman 👁️👁️ 6y
124 likes1 stack add12 comments
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TheLibrarian
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Great #ebookdeal for the Kindle on a previous #BOTM selection.

67 likes1 stack add
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Joanne1
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I've got one week between my last uni assignment and the start of my library placement. I'm dedicating the week to reading. How many of these do you think I can get through?

LeeRHarry All of them? 😊 6y
CarolynM If you're anything like me you'll get distracted from what you planned to read and pick up 3 other books after the first one! Enjoy your week off, whatever you end up reading😀 6y
Joanne1 @CarolynM that's very likely. 6y
Lindy One per day... you‘re going to need more! 6y
KateFulfordAuthor @Lindy is right! If you need another recommendation, may I point you to my People‘s Book Prize nominated debut? Sassy female narrative, laugh out dialogue and a pacy plot. Check the link in the bio for 2 free chapters, reviews and more. 6y
66 likes5 comments
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Julsmarshall
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Finally! Been on my TBR for.ev.er! Seems like a great summer read! #botm #MountTBR

SeeJulieRead I have this on my TBR too. 6y
BibliOphelia Me too! 😳😁 6y
73 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Apinlibraryland
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I did a “blind date with a book” at Book Culture! Fun!

BookBabe Nice! @MrBook and I love Book Culture! 6y
22 likes1 comment
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Caterina
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@RealLifeReading inspired me to join in on May‘s Asian Lit Bingo! I‘ll be working on the top row, for which four #mountTBR kindle books apply. I want to use A Time to Dance for the remaining prompt, but I don‘t know if I can get my hands on it. I‘m excited for this push to get through some owned books and read more Asian lit! #asianlitbingo
Find out more at https://litcelebrasian.wordpress.com

RealLifeReading I‘m glad to hear that you‘re joining in!! 7y
35 likes1 comment
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Jess7
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“The #WangsvstheWorld is an outrageously funny tale about a wealthy Chinese-American family that loses it all, then takes a healing, uproarious road trip across the United States... Their spectacular fall from riches to rags brings the Wangs together in a way money never could. It‘s an epic family saga and an entirely fresh look at what it means to belong in America...” #TBR. The #roadtrip part made me think of a #Vacation! #ReadingResolutions

Jess7 Speaking of vacation - my husband and I are trying to plan a five year anniversary trip to Europe (specifically a 9 day trip to #London, #Paris, and #Rome)in mid/late June 😊 — are there any Littens from any of these or who have been to these places and have any tips ❓❓#VacationPlanning #EuropeVacation #LitsyHelp #Europe #England #France #Italy 7y
britt_brooke @Jess7 We‘ve been to Paris and Rome. You‘re going to love them both!! If you have time while in Paris, take the train to Versailles. The palace is amazing! Also, definitely check out Père Lachaise Cemetery. It‘s breathtaking. Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried there. When you go to the Louvre, head straight for Mona Lisa. It gets crowded. We want to go back one day. 7y
britt_brooke @Jess7 Rome is beautiful, too, but in a completely different way. The ruins are so amazing. 7y
See All 6 Comments
Jess7 Thank you! Such good things to know! I posted another thing about Europe - if you have any dos and don‘ts let me know there please! We are trying to decide whether to book the hop on/hop off tours or what.. I also see there are lots of different bus options. Not sure which is the best deal bc some include admission into places and some don‘t @britt_brooke 7y
109 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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egg104
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spending my day off with a book !

Reviewsbylola I love this cover. 7y
egg104 @Reviewsbylola me too! the colors are so cute ! 7y
22 likes1 stack add2 comments
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BookNAround
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I took my book club book with me to the track meet but didn‘t manage to get any reading done. The kiddo got a PR and I knew lots of the other vaulters (not always the case) so I had to cheer them over the bar too.

Chrissyreadit Congrats!!!🎉🎈🎊 7y
71 likes1 comment
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kricheal
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Pickpick

I actually really enjoyed the character study of this book. It wasn't what I was expecting it to be...it wasn't a funny road trip. It was a family dealing with the curveballs that life can unexpectedly throw you.

93 likes3 stack adds
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kricheal
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Starting this next on #primereading
Has anyone read this?

swishandflick I have! Wasn't my cup of tea but I know a lot of people who liked it. 7y
gossamerchild I've read it. I liked it. Frustrating family 😁 7y
ReadingOver50 I read half and bailed. I didn‘t connect with any of the characters. 7y
Susanita They‘re all annoying, but I liked the book! 7y
BookNAround This is my next month‘s book club book. 7y
72 likes5 comments
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whimsy
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WELL THERE'S THIS AT LEAST. Bless you, Times. (They also had a 20% Fiction sale in February and my sister and I got to enjoy it on the last day).

8 likes1 stack add
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Jbakesmcgee3
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Next up for one of my book clubs!

26 likes1 stack add
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ReadingOver50
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Bailedbailed

Sorry people but I am going to bail on this. I‘ve read over half but the characters are unlikeable and I have no empathy for any of them. Time to move on.

swishandflick I wish I'd bailed on this one - I felt the same way and it never got better 🤷🏽‍♀️ 7y
Jolynne I just recently took it off my tbr so I‘m glad to hear this. 7y
Aswenson This had few redeemable qualities for me. The ending was probably worse than the rest. Good choice! 7y
See All 7 Comments
Skyrimir I downloaded this for free on my kindle! I‘ll be returning it so I can get something else instead, 4 bad reviews in a row! 7y
Pamwurtzler Good to know. It‘s been on my TBR for a while but now I probably won‘t red it. 7y
Susanita They‘re all pretty annoying, but I liked it anyway. 7y
Crash I bailed on it as well. 7y
133 likes7 comments
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Shadowfat
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Pickpick

This was every bit as good as people said it would be. I like how they all have issues and don't always get along, but they pull together when it counts.

23 likes2 stack adds
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Susan
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7 likes1 stack add