Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
If this book were just stories about his mom, brothers, and food, it would be 5 stars. There were some parts at the beginning and end of the memoir that I cried, I was laughing that hard. Most of his "troubled years" were less interesting to me; mainly I feel lucky that our parents always put us in pretty diverse communities where we were never bullied (it's not a era thing, he's only a couple years old than I am). But it's probably a good thing to have more non-"model minority" Asian-American stories out there, like [b:I Love Yous Are for White People|5324960|I Love Yous Are for White People|Lac Su|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1345837681s/5324960.jpg|5392434].
I'm not upset I read this, but the writing of this book is definitely not for me. There were tons of basketball and hip-hop references that went over my head. And while reading, I wanted more passion, emotion and/or reasoning behind some of his actions. Or maybe some reflection? At times Eddie can be a bit arrogant and hypocritical. I thought the first third and last third were best, the middle gets old.
But maybe I'm just more salty that the book was marketed as a food memoir; it was more coming of age than anything.
But maybe I'm just more salty that the book was marketed as a food memoir; it was more coming of age than anything.
Eddie Huang and I came of age in the same world. We are less than 2 years apart in age, grew up 2 states away from each other, and I relate very much to the character of Eddie Huang from ABC's sitcom, Fresh off the Boat. As soon as I found out that the show was based on a book, I knew I had to read it.
I had no idea what I was in for. I'm not a person who reads blurbs or reviews before I read a book. The author and I come from completely different universes. I thought this book was gonna be full of 80-90s nostalgia and funny stories about his cute parents and quirky brothers but I found out in the hardest way that the real Huang family was nothing at all like the TV land Huangs. And that's okay! But I was not prepared. This book is not the type of novel I ever read. While it's nice to come out of your comfort zone and branch out, sometimes you find yourself so far out of your zone that you can't enjoy what you're reading.
The writing gets 3 stars
The story is 2 stars
The lesson is 4 stars
I appreciate what Eddie Huang was saying in this book. I think of myself as a woke white girl, but one can never stop listening. I had NO idea that Asian prejudice was still so prevalent in America. The way Eddie dealt with the slurs isn't the way I think I would, but I've never experienced that so I'm not sure what I would do. And finally, the writing was all over the place. Eddie would start one story, go all over creation and tell 3-5 other mini stories, before he came back to the original for the finish. It was not easy reading. Fast reading, but not easy. If I had to put the book down in the middle of a chapter, when I came back to it, I had to think about what I had previously read because it isn't the type of book you can just pick back up in the middle.
In the end, this was a frustrating read, full of slang that I didn't understand, references I didn't get, and language I didn't like. I think 3 stars is being generous. I am glad I finished it, because it taught me to pay more attention to the Asian population of our world, and speak up for them when they don't have a voice. According to Eddie Huang, they don't.
I had no idea what I was in for. I'm not a person who reads blurbs or reviews before I read a book. The author and I come from completely different universes. I thought this book was gonna be full of 80-90s nostalgia and funny stories about his cute parents and quirky brothers but I found out in the hardest way that the real Huang family was nothing at all like the TV land Huangs. And that's okay! But I was not prepared. This book is not the type of novel I ever read. While it's nice to come out of your comfort zone and branch out, sometimes you find yourself so far out of your zone that you can't enjoy what you're reading.
The writing gets 3 stars
The story is 2 stars
The lesson is 4 stars
I appreciate what Eddie Huang was saying in this book. I think of myself as a woke white girl, but one can never stop listening. I had NO idea that Asian prejudice was still so prevalent in America. The way Eddie dealt with the slurs isn't the way I think I would, but I've never experienced that so I'm not sure what I would do. And finally, the writing was all over the place. Eddie would start one story, go all over creation and tell 3-5 other mini stories, before he came back to the original for the finish. It was not easy reading. Fast reading, but not easy. If I had to put the book down in the middle of a chapter, when I came back to it, I had to think about what I had previously read because it isn't the type of book you can just pick back up in the middle.
In the end, this was a frustrating read, full of slang that I didn't understand, references I didn't get, and language I didn't like. I think 3 stars is being generous. I am glad I finished it, because it taught me to pay more attention to the Asian population of our world, and speak up for them when they don't have a voice. According to Eddie Huang, they don't.
fast-paced
This book was bad. Huang sounds like a terrible person. In one story, he implies that he singlehandedly introduced Obama t-shirts to the New York street wear scene. He often refers to friends as the only other person who understood X or did X better than him.
His use of the n word and his appropriation of AAVE was off-putting. I was hoping to hear more about the Asian immigrant experience, and I did, but that was tainted by the derogatory way Huang discussed Asian-Americans who in his eyes follow stereotypes. He really thinks he is more Chinese than other "ABCs," and he is always making that point-- that he eats more authentic food, speaks Chinese better, and sees past the model minority myth more than anyone else.
Huang's delusions of grandeur are sometimes entertaining but mostly sad.
His use of the n word and his appropriation of AAVE was off-putting. I was hoping to hear more about the Asian immigrant experience, and I did, but that was tainted by the derogatory way Huang discussed Asian-Americans who in his eyes follow stereotypes. He really thinks he is more Chinese than other "ABCs," and he is always making that point-- that he eats more authentic food, speaks Chinese better, and sees past the model minority myth more than anyone else.
Huang's delusions of grandeur are sometimes entertaining but mostly sad.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Eddie Huang is unapologetic and unfiltered in this memoir, and doesn't shy away from telling some pretty rough stories because he's totally accepted who he is and where he's come from.
He's not someone I think I'd get along with and I don't agree with a number of his opinions, but I can at least respect the conviction he has for what he believes is right. I really appreciated seeing from the viewpoint of another Taiwanese American who's had an entirely different set of life experiences from me; Huang is an incredibly interesting person with a distinct writing style and unique viewpoints. He's got high-brow references mixed with hip-hop lyrics and a whole lot of slang. The audiobook (narrated by the author) really adds to the experience, it's a very personal reading.
He's not someone I think I'd get along with and I don't agree with a number of his opinions, but I can at least respect the conviction he has for what he believes is right. I really appreciated seeing from the viewpoint of another Taiwanese American who's had an entirely different set of life experiences from me; Huang is an incredibly interesting person with a distinct writing style and unique viewpoints. He's got high-brow references mixed with hip-hop lyrics and a whole lot of slang. The audiobook (narrated by the author) really adds to the experience, it's a very personal reading.
Four stars ... yes, even though it's written in hip-hop street slang which made it a bit of work to decode (and impenetrable in places), yes, even though the author is very, very angry at everything, especially white people, yes, even though he rather unfairly negatively characterizes America and white people and "typical" Asian-Americans and basically anyone educated and successful.
In other words, four stars, because even though I do not share much in common with this author nor necessarily agree with his conclusions about life, I still found the book stimulating and highly enjoyable.
Huang's passion and intensity really makes this book. Although his passionate nature comes out as fierce anger much of the time, his delight in the details of his hobbies drew me in. He doesn't just listen to hip-hop, he lives it. He doesn't just eat, he dissects and savors and analyzes. And this is where I felt a connection with him.
The undercurrent of everything he goes through in the book is his deep longing for approval from his parents, which is not happening because that's not how old-world Asian parents behave. So he's already carrying this hurt and anger around when he goes out to meet the world, which, predictably, contains many fools, racists, bullies, and generally unsatisfactory persons, whom Eddie excoriates mercilessly. It's particularly interesting to me how he's filled with vitriol toward Asian-Americans who focus on a narrow vision of academic and career success, and dismisses them as "trying to be white" -- meanwhile, he's focused on hip-hop, the NBA, sneakers and streetwear, and by his own logic it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's "trying to be black." He's full of these kind of contradictions, and yet I couldn't help but root for him in his various questionable enterprises as he struggles toward finding his place in the world.
I appreciated the opportunity to read about a slice of society that I've never personally experienced and I even emjoyed deciphering the street vernacular. Eddie Huang clearly put a lot of thought into this memoir and he successfully immerses the reader in his head, his world. Raw, honest, and thought-provoking.
In other words, four stars, because even though I do not share much in common with this author nor necessarily agree with his conclusions about life, I still found the book stimulating and highly enjoyable.
Huang's passion and intensity really makes this book. Although his passionate nature comes out as fierce anger much of the time, his delight in the details of his hobbies drew me in. He doesn't just listen to hip-hop, he lives it. He doesn't just eat, he dissects and savors and analyzes. And this is where I felt a connection with him.
The undercurrent of everything he goes through in the book is his deep longing for approval from his parents, which is not happening because that's not how old-world Asian parents behave. So he's already carrying this hurt and anger around when he goes out to meet the world, which, predictably, contains many fools, racists, bullies, and generally unsatisfactory persons, whom Eddie excoriates mercilessly. It's particularly interesting to me how he's filled with vitriol toward Asian-Americans who focus on a narrow vision of academic and career success, and dismisses them as "trying to be white" -- meanwhile, he's focused on hip-hop, the NBA, sneakers and streetwear, and by his own logic it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's "trying to be black." He's full of these kind of contradictions, and yet I couldn't help but root for him in his various questionable enterprises as he struggles toward finding his place in the world.
I appreciated the opportunity to read about a slice of society that I've never personally experienced and I even emjoyed deciphering the street vernacular. Eddie Huang clearly put a lot of thought into this memoir and he successfully immerses the reader in his head, his world. Raw, honest, and thought-provoking.
We listened to the audiobook which is great because it's read by Eddie in his style.
I already liked Eddie Huang but this was even better than expected