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carireadsbooksandtarot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Making a Scene by Constance Wu
Constance Wu, star of Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians, brings an enjoyable memoir in essays in Making a Scene. While the writing is mostly mediocre, Wu showcases a great sense of humor and is highly relatable throughout. The child of immigrant parents from Taiwan, Wu had a suburban upbringing in Richmond, Virginia, getting involved with theater because of her own passion for it at an early age, which her parents supported. She reached her fame through hard work and talent, working waitressing jobs, falling in and out of love, moving from apartment to apartment, and auditioning relentlessly.
Wu speaks candidly about rape and sexual harrassment and addresses her public Twitter breakdown and subsequent mental health issues with grace and self-awareness. Wu apologizes for mistakes she's made that have hurt others and stands up for herself against those who have used their power to hurt her.
The book takes some time to hit its stride, with stronger essays like Making a Scene and Unfinished Mansions appearing in the second half of the book. There are some essays that didn't really land with me and didn't quite connect to the life lesson it purported to have taught her. But the stronger essays are really strong, and with those, I couldn't stop turning the pages.
More writing experience or increased editing could have tightened up the feel of this memoir, in which there wasn't always a through thread tying the essays together and there were moments of telling, not showing. Overall, I think fans will definitely enjoy this memoir, and those who haven't heard of Wu will still find a lot to enjoy and relate to here.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Sexual harassment
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