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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
It's very easy to get lost in the cursory name-dropping of childhood friends or cultural icons followed by directionless nostalgia. Although I like the voice with which he writes, too much just gets buried in 90s slang and references to the materialism of that era. Parents are fully fleshed out in the stories, but nearly everyone else (friends, brothers, other family) get very shallow one-sentence summaries like "dude always had my back." In fact, the Jordan Vs are described in more detail than most of the people in the book.
The laugh-out-loud moments in this book are unbeatable - I was crying at one point, when he talked about his mom's car turning "like a club sandwich falling apart." I enjoyed this overall, though found a serious irony inside: Huang struggled for a long time to define himself and what he thought was cool, now his overly heavy use of slang seems like a test designed to keep "uncool" people away from the story. Ultimately it's not a tale of inclusion, but rather learning to coexist as yourself in a world where you don't fit. Edgy, raw, honest and funny, it has a rage-red streak of violence running through its heart. Fresh Off the Boat is definitely not like other memoirs I have read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
lighthearted
medium-paced
This book was essentially the life story of the author. I wish he discussed more in depth about how the racism and microaggressions affected him, if that was really what he was trying to get across to the reader. It seems like the author is a very smart guy but made some poor decisions throughout his life that could have put him in a terrible situation and really ruined his life. Thankfully they didn't. I wouldn't recommend this book to others because I think there are other books that convey the message better than this one. I've read several books about people's life stories and just don't need another one to add to the pile.
slow-paced
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I have complicated feeling about this.
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
I really struggled to put a rating on this one. It’s a flawed, brutally honest, at times cavalier, blasé and almost cruel account of some genuinely harmful and problematic things the author has done. Simultaneously, there’s some fascinating and brilliant insights into the ways that a complicated home life with societal prejudice can predetermine the way certain personalities will act. Honest opinions about racism in America that are insightful.
Are all of these thoughts and blasé account how the author still thinks about these things, or just a remarkable gift for storytelling with a willingness to bear the disgust (at times) that the reader is made to feel? I’m honestly unsure.
I think overall it’s a very worthwhile read, but absolutely not the clean, easily digestible narrative in the TV adaptation.
Are all of these thoughts and blasé account how the author still thinks about these things, or just a remarkable gift for storytelling with a willingness to bear the disgust (at times) that the reader is made to feel? I’m honestly unsure.
I think overall it’s a very worthwhile read, but absolutely not the clean, easily digestible narrative in the TV adaptation.