Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

He tells his story with humor and raw honesty. I would have loved to hear a little more about the transition in his relationship with his parents from hostile to healing (therapy? influence of his grandparents? ) But the honesty on both his and his parents' part is truly admirable. He reads his memoir well, and the emotion in his voice when he chokes back tears talking about his grandparents knocked me flat.

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jackie_marion's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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ofpagesandparagraphs's review

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challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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fromjuliereads's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Usually I don't rate nonfiction but I really enjoyed this book! It was so interesting reading about Simu's past and family's story. Parts were so difficult to read but he mixes humour and serious life experiences so well. I can't wait to see what comes next for his career!

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btwnprintedpgs's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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funny hopeful fast-paced

3.25

Title: We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story
Author: Simu Liu
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 16, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Quick • Entertaining • Repetitive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

We Were Dreamers details Canadian actor Simu Liu's journey from China to Canada and the bright lights of Hollywood.

Beginning in China, where Simu was left in the care of his grandparents as his parents forged a future in Canada. It is out of the blue that Simu's father shows up, whisking him away from the only home he'd ever known. Life in Canada was a difficult transition for Simu, as he was separated from those around him by culture, language and values.

Growing up, he did everything to appease his parents, but over time it became harder and harder to keep up the charade. When as a young adult, he find himself unemployed and ashamed, it is an ad on Craigslist that will change everything for him.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I will admit to falling victim to the hype when it comes to We Were Dreamers, as I had no clue who Simu Liu was before listening to his memoir, but when it became available from my library as an express loan I decided to give it a try.

I definitely think that because I didn't know who he was, my experience definitely wasn't the same as other readers have had. Divided into three acts, I enjoyed the first section about his childhood, but found myself caring less and less as it progressed.

What I did appreciate is the exploration of parental expectations and cultural stereotypes. Parts were certainly hard to read, but I also had to remind myself that this was Simu's side of the story. I also think the reconciliation between himself and his parents definitely could have been explored more to make for a more seamless transition from one act to the next.

Overall, this memoir was culturally informative and entertaining to listen to, but I'd also have been completely okay having skipped it. If you're a Simu Liu fan you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did, and in my opinion this is a book made for audio as opposed to print form, as his expressive voice adds to the story.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
• Marvel fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Whether you like it or not, you're getting better at something every day."

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imstephtacular's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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onemorepagecrew's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

This year has given us celebrity memoir gold and We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu is no exception. I loved it so much!

I saw many positive reviews from friends here on bookstagram and I was excited to get into the audio over the weekend. I ended up finishing it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, it was the perfect blend of reflective and witty. I look for memoirs to be either entertaining or emotionally vulnerable, so to have one hit both notes is great.

In this memoir, Liu goes back to his childhood in China and explains a bit about his grandparents’ and parents’ experiences, along with the key aspects of Chinese culture that influenced their personal and parenting choices. He speaks to his experience immigrating to Canada at a young age and the abuse he faced once arriving.

He takes the reader into his teen and adult years, talking about both his career and his family dynamics. It’s such a well-told story that centers his reconciliation with the events of his life without losing accountability for the adults in his life that failed him as a child.

It’s also a story of healing and growth - it’s clear he has had therapy and I love to see it. If you enjoy a deep memoir with humor and self-awareness, this is a fantastic choice.

Content warnings: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs

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