Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

"We Were Dreamers" is Simu Liu's story of his life as an immigrant in Canada, his complicated relationship with his parents, his difficult professional start, and his rise in Hollywood. The book is laced with humor while also tackling the difficult parts and screw-ups of his life head-on. The book is bookended with him earning the role of Shang-Chi, which I really enjoyed. I definitely want to rewatch the movie now that I see how special it was to him. I definitely recommend this book if you're a fan.

Content Warnings

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

jermangirl's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.25

Content Warnings

evawondergem's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

Content Warnings

ofpagesandparagraphs's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

giacomomontecristo's review against another edition

Go to review page

funny hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

Content Warnings

zee's review

Go to review page

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

Simu Liu's tone is highly conversational, however I found the Americanization of a Canadian memoir to be surprisingly grating. "applying to colleges" (when referencing Universities), "freshman" (first year), "first grade" (grade one)... Even his usage of Craigslist I can't help but wonder if he didn't actually use Kijiji.

The book is split into three major parts: his parents' story, and how the Cultural Revolution impacted their behaviour (sorry, "behavior") and their initial immigration to the West; his formative years with his parents and the abuse and expectations encountered; and finally the struggle to succeed as an actor. I found the deliberate decision to end the book as Shang Chi was getting rolling to be a tad disappointing, as I doubt it was entirely sunshine and roses after all his years of struggle with his identity... Though ultimately that was probably based on the timelines of the deal happening before the Marvel announcement. For all that acts 1 and 2 are raw and emotional, act 3 seemed very rushed. He glosses over the struggles and successes with, essentially, "and then I tried harder and this time it worked."

While a worthwhile story to read of the familial struggles and expectations placed on him as the son of immigrants, overall the book doesn't adequately address why we're reading his particular story and not some other schmuck's with a difficult/abusive parental relationship. I guess it would be better aimed at major Liu fans, which isn't what I expect from a Canada Reads longlist selected memoir.

Content Warnings

l1brarygirl's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Content Warnings

More...