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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
An interesting and unique story. His food writing is particularly gripping. It took a little time to purge the TV sitcom version of his family from my mind, so I recommend reading this first.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
I'm a little conflicted.
Huang is all over the place. He's clearly smart, but he also clearly knows it. Parts of this book will make you cringe out of your skin, doubly so if you're listening to him narrate the audiobook. Huang is, relatively speaking, a privileged kid. But at the same time, he went through some shit.
Some of his ills were self-inflicted. His posturing as a teenage tough guy was born out of necessity, a way to shield himself from racist abuse and childish bullying, but that rage turned sour fast, and much of the first third of the book centres around Eddie and his friends dropping N-bombs, trashing houses and beating the hell out of people. It's... weird, and at times uncomfortable. Not so much the tomfoolery and hooliganism, but how Huang frames it. He talks about his dad's businesses and how before long in Orlando he was living in gated communities watching Shaq jet-ski from over a nearby fence. He talks about begrudgingly getting an SLK. And so when he talks about posers and hustlers not grinding like he did, it's weird, because yes, he sold drugs, and yes, he did grind, but the nuance needs to be pointed out. He also went to two different universities, private schools, and law school. He hustled to make pocket money, not to live. Selling drugs out of your dorm doesn't make you Avon Barksdale.
Still, you've likely seen that this is still a 3 star book, and that speaks to Huang's ability to tell a story. Some of the AAVE that litters this book feels like he's playing a character, but the most egregious affectations are mostly in retellings from his youth—seriously, you're going to shiver with the early n-bombs. Otherwise, Huang is a fascinating and fantastic speaker. When he talks about identity, and race, and belonging, and expectations, it's fantastic. He has an incredibly unique perspective on being a Chinese-American, or more relevantly a Taiwanese-American, and his ability to boil his experiences down in a way that a white Canadian can empathize is impressive. His passion for hip-hop, and later food, is a joy to listen to, and while he glosses over his accomplishments with Baohaus, it's clear why he succeeded.
But man, dude needs to tone it down a little, because sometimes gets lost in the character. When he finds that balance, this is a joy to read or listen to. When he's riffing off slang like an awkward kid, not so much. There are parts where the slang and lyrics and cussing fit perfectly. There are almost as many where they don't. You can feel the difference when he starts to find himself later in the book, and a natural, confident and self-assured Eddie Huang is one worth rooting for.
Huang is all over the place. He's clearly smart, but he also clearly knows it. Parts of this book will make you cringe out of your skin, doubly so if you're listening to him narrate the audiobook. Huang is, relatively speaking, a privileged kid. But at the same time, he went through some shit.
Some of his ills were self-inflicted. His posturing as a teenage tough guy was born out of necessity, a way to shield himself from racist abuse and childish bullying, but that rage turned sour fast, and much of the first third of the book centres around Eddie and his friends dropping N-bombs, trashing houses and beating the hell out of people. It's... weird, and at times uncomfortable. Not so much the tomfoolery and hooliganism, but how Huang frames it. He talks about his dad's businesses and how before long in Orlando he was living in gated communities watching Shaq jet-ski from over a nearby fence. He talks about begrudgingly getting an SLK. And so when he talks about posers and hustlers not grinding like he did, it's weird, because yes, he sold drugs, and yes, he did grind, but the nuance needs to be pointed out. He also went to two different universities, private schools, and law school. He hustled to make pocket money, not to live. Selling drugs out of your dorm doesn't make you Avon Barksdale.
Still, you've likely seen that this is still a 3 star book, and that speaks to Huang's ability to tell a story. Some of the AAVE that litters this book feels like he's playing a character, but the most egregious affectations are mostly in retellings from his youth—seriously, you're going to shiver with the early n-bombs. Otherwise, Huang is a fascinating and fantastic speaker. When he talks about identity, and race, and belonging, and expectations, it's fantastic. He has an incredibly unique perspective on being a Chinese-American, or more relevantly a Taiwanese-American, and his ability to boil his experiences down in a way that a white Canadian can empathize is impressive. His passion for hip-hop, and later food, is a joy to listen to, and while he glosses over his accomplishments with Baohaus, it's clear why he succeeded.
But man, dude needs to tone it down a little, because sometimes gets lost in the character. When he finds that balance, this is a joy to read or listen to. When he's riffing off slang like an awkward kid, not so much. There are parts where the slang and lyrics and cussing fit perfectly. There are almost as many where they don't. You can feel the difference when he starts to find himself later in the book, and a natural, confident and self-assured Eddie Huang is one worth rooting for.
I loved this book so much. It was funny and endearing as well as thought provoking. I like reading about experiences that I will probably never have and I got that from this.
Really good. I picked this up after beginning the TV series. The memoir is very funny but also much darker than the series.
Another reviewer described Huang’s tone as braggadocious. That is spot on. I found myself being put off of the book about a quarter of the way through because of it. Sadly, Eddie’s character on the show is far more likeable than Eddie actually is in the book.
I picked up this book thinking it would be funny. It was not. I enjoyed the bit about him growing up well enough. We are about the same age and I can relate to having parents that were wise enough not to buy every Starter jacket, etc. Parts of the book were very hard to read- he got himself in some pretty serious trouble when it was clear he could avoid it by taking a different path. He seems like he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. I am glad he found something he loves. Hope the restaurant makes it or that he has wised up from his mistakes from his youth.
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced