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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed reading this! His early life was definitely different from the show. Less safe-for-cable. And his parents may have been a bit on the dysfunctional/abusive side (not as charming as Randall Park and Constance Wu!). But I really liked seeing American life from his perspective. I read other reviews complaining that he thinks he’s better than other Chinese people, that he brags about dating white chicks, that he’s egotistical? I disagree. He’s himself. He doesn’t apologize for it and no one should expect him to. And I never got the impression that he thinks he’s better than anyone else, or that he was “bragging” about dating white chicks, or that he thinks the more straight laced American born Chinese are losers or pathetic or sellouts or whatever it was other reviewers were complaining about. I think he very clearly indicated that these were his personal interests and feelings, and that they shouldn’t imply he thinks others should be like him. He definitely has interests that are far from mine: fashion, shoes, sports, music, and food. Like, in general I’m not very passionate about those things no matter what genre. But adding the hip hop culture to it meant a lot of stuff kind of went past me. There were times it felt like I was reading another language (and it wasn’t when he mentioned Chinese words/phrases). But honestly, that’s why we read about people who are different from us. To see the world from their perspective, at least for a moment, and to maybe cultivate a bit of empathy. And I think it’s important to remember that he grew up as an Asian kid in a white area who identified with a lot of black culture in the 90s when the internet wasn’t easily accessible. He couldn’t find people like him. He was it. He had to develop a thick skin and strong sense of identity just to survive adolescence while being true to himself. So he’s got a healthy ego. I think some people forget how hard it is to be so obviously different from the people around you. Different from your family. Different from your friends. He made mistakes, but kids always do. The point of the book isn’t for him to seek redemption. It’s to share his story. There are certainly kids today who could use the representation. Again, it’s easy to forget that representation matters when you have always had it.
Also, as a vegetarian, this is the first time in a while I’ve read about food with meat and craved it all (with the exception of some of the more intestinal meat dishes). I might have to take a break to try everything at Baohaus at some point.
Also, as a vegetarian, this is the first time in a while I’ve read about food with meat and craved it all (with the exception of some of the more intestinal meat dishes). I might have to take a break to try everything at Baohaus at some point.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Love hearing about other people’s immigrant stories and how their families have made space for themselves in this new world. Eddie certainly has had an interesting life and I went from having tears in my eyes as he talked about his grandma or his family to laughing at his wild antics.
The constant connection back to food was great and his comments around fusion food and white chefs coming in to “improve” our cuisines really hit home for me.
“There a difference between bastardising an item and giving it room to breath, grow and change with the times. When Chinese people cook Chinese food or Jamaicans cook Jamaican, there’s no question what’s going on. Just make it taste good. When foreigners cook our food, they want to infuse their own identity into the dish, they have a need to be part of the story and take it over. For some reason, Americans simply can’t understand why this bothers us. “I just want to tell my story‽?…” It’s imperialism at work in a sauté pan”
The constant connection back to food was great and his comments around fusion food and white chefs coming in to “improve” our cuisines really hit home for me.
“There a difference between bastardising an item and giving it room to breath, grow and change with the times. When Chinese people cook Chinese food or Jamaicans cook Jamaican, there’s no question what’s going on. Just make it taste good. When foreigners cook our food, they want to infuse their own identity into the dish, they have a need to be part of the story and take it over. For some reason, Americans simply can’t understand why this bothers us. “I just want to tell my story‽?…” It’s imperialism at work in a sauté pan”
It took a while for me to realize how the TV show really is this book. The author's voice initially was so different than the show, but I realized that's because the TV show had to sanitize the book and only express the essence of the family rather than the actual events, and in that way, I have to say the show did a good job.
So what of the book on its own? Subversive. Can't say it was really all that well written or that I could appreciate the writer's casual sexism, which, let's face it, is sexism, casual or not. But I appreciated that he is a lot smarter than he was given credit for throughout his life, that he's broken every stereotype and reshaped them too, that the racism he faced was explicitly spoken (and it had to be that way because until COVID, racism toward Asians were rarely outright and more often a death by a thousand microaggressive cuts), and that he's a wanderer. What surprised me was how young he still was by the end of the narrative. I thought for sure he must've been in his mid to late thirties after having lived such a big life full of rebellion, racism, cultural clashes, and multiple careers. Have to respect all that.
Glad the book was written and glad I read it. In many ways, felt like he'd voiced a lot of the parallel experiences and feelings I'd lived, and in that way, it was cathartic. Wish him continued success in all his future endeavors, and I'm sure there will be many.
So what of the book on its own? Subversive. Can't say it was really all that well written or that I could appreciate the writer's casual sexism, which, let's face it, is sexism, casual or not. But I appreciated that he is a lot smarter than he was given credit for throughout his life, that he's broken every stereotype and reshaped them too, that the racism he faced was explicitly spoken (and it had to be that way because until COVID, racism toward Asians were rarely outright and more often a death by a thousand microaggressive cuts), and that he's a wanderer. What surprised me was how young he still was by the end of the narrative. I thought for sure he must've been in his mid to late thirties after having lived such a big life full of rebellion, racism, cultural clashes, and multiple careers. Have to respect all that.
Glad the book was written and glad I read it. In many ways, felt like he'd voiced a lot of the parallel experiences and feelings I'd lived, and in that way, it was cathartic. Wish him continued success in all his future endeavors, and I'm sure there will be many.
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Maybe 2.75/5? Not that I disliked it entirely, rather there was a lot of fatigue between the scattered moments of second gen wisdom.
100% better than the show, given that it is authentic and I can no longer tolerate the sitcom.
100% better than the show, given that it is authentic and I can no longer tolerate the sitcom.
This book isn't for everyone but I loved this. Get the audiobook because he narrates it himself and he laughs at some of his experiences which is very sweet. I really enjoyed his discussion on Asian American politics and could relate to a lot of it.
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
I tried reading this one evening while waiting for my daughter outside a meeting. It got 90 minutes of my attention, but I have no interest in picking it up again.
This guy is just an asshole. I refuse to listen to one more second of his ridiculousness.
Couldn't finish it because I found Huang's braggy and critical tone over the top and distracting. Still, an interesting subject matter and a great TV series.