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Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'
We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu
82 reviews
brett311's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
mandaraffe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, and Xenophobia
Minor: Racism and Grief
sciammi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
The best part was the chapters about his childhood (including family history), pre-university years, and his years hustling as an actor. I think that since I know some people who are actors in Canada, I could relate. But I found that beyond that some of the content in the narrative was lacking. Enjoyable read but it would have been even more enjoyable if we got the stories of his Shang chi filming experience, more about his time on Kim's convenience (for example, his fave episode or a behind the scene anecdote) or just a little more meat to the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
kelly_e's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
3.25
Title: We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story
Author: Simu Liu
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 16, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Entertaining • Repetitive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
We Were Dreamers details Canadian actor Simu Liu's journey from China to Canada and the bright lights of Hollywood.
Beginning in China, where Simu was left in the care of his grandparents as his parents forged a future in Canada. It is out of the blue that Simu's father shows up, whisking him away from the only home he'd ever known. Life in Canada was a difficult transition for Simu, as he was separated from those around him by culture, language and values.
Growing up, he did everything to appease his parents, but over time it became harder and harder to keep up the charade. When as a young adult, he find himself unemployed and ashamed, it is an ad on Craigslist that will change everything for him.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I will admit to falling victim to the hype when it comes to We Were Dreamers, as I had no clue who Simu Liu was before listening to his memoir, but when it became available from my library as an express loan I decided to give it a try.
I definitely think that because I didn't know who he was, my experience definitely wasn't the same as other readers have had. Divided into three acts, I enjoyed the first section about his childhood, but found myself caring less and less as it progressed.
What I did appreciate is the exploration of parental expectations and cultural stereotypes. Parts were certainly hard to read, but I also had to remind myself that this was Simu's side of the story. I also think the reconciliation between himself and his parents definitely could have been explored more to make for a more seamless transition from one act to the next.
Overall, this memoir was culturally informative and entertaining to listen to, but I'd also have been completely okay having skipped it. If you're a Simu Liu fan you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did, and in my opinion this is a book made for audio as opposed to print form, as his expressive voice adds to the story.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
• Marvel fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Whether you like it or not, you're getting better at something every day."
Author: Simu Liu
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 16, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Quick • Entertaining • Repetitive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
We Were Dreamers details Canadian actor Simu Liu's journey from China to Canada and the bright lights of Hollywood.
Beginning in China, where Simu was left in the care of his grandparents as his parents forged a future in Canada. It is out of the blue that Simu's father shows up, whisking him away from the only home he'd ever known. Life in Canada was a difficult transition for Simu, as he was separated from those around him by culture, language and values.
Growing up, he did everything to appease his parents, but over time it became harder and harder to keep up the charade. When as a young adult, he find himself unemployed and ashamed, it is an ad on Craigslist that will change everything for him.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I will admit to falling victim to the hype when it comes to We Were Dreamers, as I had no clue who Simu Liu was before listening to his memoir, but when it became available from my library as an express loan I decided to give it a try.
I definitely think that because I didn't know who he was, my experience definitely wasn't the same as other readers have had. Divided into three acts, I enjoyed the first section about his childhood, but found myself caring less and less as it progressed.
What I did appreciate is the exploration of parental expectations and cultural stereotypes. Parts were certainly hard to read, but I also had to remind myself that this was Simu's side of the story. I also think the reconciliation between himself and his parents definitely could have been explored more to make for a more seamless transition from one act to the next.
Overall, this memoir was culturally informative and entertaining to listen to, but I'd also have been completely okay having skipped it. If you're a Simu Liu fan you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did, and in my opinion this is a book made for audio as opposed to print form, as his expressive voice adds to the story.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
• Marvel fans
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Whether you like it or not, you're getting better at something every day."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Classism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts
booktalkwithrae's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I typically don’t read autobiographies, I’ve probably only read about three in my lifetime, but out of the three I’ve read, this is my absolute favourite one.
Maybe it’s because he grew up in Toronto at the at the exact same time as I did. Or maybe because he went to university at the same university, as I did, at the same time… So maybe that’s where the nostalgia comes and made it very easy for me to connect with the story.
But more importantly, I think this book will resonate and connect with a lot of first and second immigrant families. Having high expectations, the sacrifices, your parents went through to give you the life that you have today. This book deeply dives into those complex feelings and upbringings. It is raw and honest, and I truly appreciate Simu for sharing his story, the good and the bad.
I highly recommend this book for others to read. If you’re going to read any autobiography, read this one!
Maybe it’s because he grew up in Toronto at the at the exact same time as I did. Or maybe because he went to university at the same university, as I did, at the same time… So maybe that’s where the nostalgia comes and made it very easy for me to connect with the story.
But more importantly, I think this book will resonate and connect with a lot of first and second immigrant families. Having high expectations, the sacrifices, your parents went through to give you the life that you have today. This book deeply dives into those complex feelings and upbringings. It is raw and honest, and I truly appreciate Simu for sharing his story, the good and the bad.
I highly recommend this book for others to read. If you’re going to read any autobiography, read this one!
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse
madisonfrank's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, Child abuse, and Grief
karina_dreamsinwords's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
5.0
“On that day I became more than just a comic book character— I became a part of an idea that everyone deserves to see themselves as superheroes, as the leads of their own stories, or simply, just as multifaceted beings with hopes and aspirations and flaws.”
In We Were Dreamers, Liu reflects back on his childhood, the harrowing journey of Simu’s parents migrating from China to create a better life in North America, and the incredible progression of his career.
A remarkable story of resilience in the face of adversity, from not only those outside of his family but also from within. Simu’s raw account of his upbringing is insightful and at times very tough to read about.
You can very clearly see the love and utmost respect he has for his family, culture & craft.
Then you get to the acknowledgments and the bit about his pup made me sob😭
Just an overall great human being honestly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Xenophobia
_inge's review against another edition
medium-paced
4.0
Everything about this felt so genuine. Simu was so open about everything (with thanks to his parents for giving permission too), and in the audiobook expressed emotions through his voice in a really authentic way. He’s a good actor of course, but he couldn’t have faked laughing at some of his childhood memories or his voice shaking when expressing gratitude for those who are no longer with us. Usually if I read a celebrity memoire I just want them to give details about a film and spill the tea, but Simu made me genuinely interested in his personal life. This book taught me a lot about the immigrant experience and about the Chinese one in general, for which I’m very grateful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment
marrireadsandrambles's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
starklinqs's review against another edition
4.0
3.8 rounded up! I had a great time with this book - I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure if I was going to love the writing at first, so I went through the first few chapters fairly slowly, but by chapter four I was so ready to keep reading more.
First what I didn’t like: I only knock it off a point or so because I feel like some things are brushed over or there isn’t as much detail as I would have expected for a memoir - particularly the abuse he details vs reconciliation. I don’t mean this to read as: “Simu Liu HAS to write about how he reconciled with his parents and lay out each and every single step, and tell us about all the therapy he’s presumably had about coming to terms with this!” Obviously not lmao - but just from a reading standpoint it’s a bit jarring to see those multiple chapters detailing the emotional and physical abuse, but then see later on in the book that clearly there’s some sort of relationship - whether that came from his own acceptance, both sides, something that came with time, something he’s still coping with, or even if it’s something he straight up doesn’t intend to share with us as the readers at this time/ever, etc. There were smaller instances here and there where I thought he was going to go into a story but then he pulls back from writing the whole thing. I normally wouldn’t harp on that in real life but in the specifics of a memoir where the author chooses what stories to mention, it did pull me out of it just a bit.
Overall, however, he writes well and I really enjoyed this book; Simu Liu has an engaging writing style. He’s incredibly self aware while he writes about his stories - and even acknowledges when he let things get to his head or how he’d try too hard to make things picture perfect, which I genuinely appreciate. For all the jokes about him being narcissistic in this book, so many stories include him pointing out his own flaws and issues in his mindset. Also, his book resonated with me a lot as an Asian child of immigrants. While I’m not Chinese, I was reading a lot of his memoir and relating to a lot of it. I figured I’d probably relate to some parts, just being in the Asian community, but it hit me harder than I expected. I think it’ll be a good read for anyone, but I think a lot of Asian fans will especially see something in this book that they can relate to.
First what I didn’t like: I only knock it off a point or so because I feel like some things are brushed over or there isn’t as much detail as I would have expected for a memoir - particularly the abuse he details vs reconciliation. I don’t mean this to read as: “Simu Liu HAS to write about how he reconciled with his parents and lay out each and every single step, and tell us about all the therapy he’s presumably had about coming to terms with this!” Obviously not lmao - but just from a reading standpoint it’s a bit jarring to see those multiple chapters detailing the emotional and physical abuse, but then see later on in the book that clearly there’s some sort of relationship - whether that came from his own acceptance, both sides, something that came with time, something he’s still coping with, or even if it’s something he straight up doesn’t intend to share with us as the readers at this time/ever, etc. There were smaller instances here and there where I thought he was going to go into a story but then he pulls back from writing the whole thing. I normally wouldn’t harp on that in real life but in the specifics of a memoir where the author chooses what stories to mention, it did pull me out of it just a bit.
Overall, however, he writes well and I really enjoyed this book; Simu Liu has an engaging writing style. He’s incredibly self aware while he writes about his stories - and even acknowledges when he let things get to his head or how he’d try too hard to make things picture perfect, which I genuinely appreciate. For all the jokes about him being narcissistic in this book, so many stories include him pointing out his own flaws and issues in his mindset. Also, his book resonated with me a lot as an Asian child of immigrants. While I’m not Chinese, I was reading a lot of his memoir and relating to a lot of it. I figured I’d probably relate to some parts, just being in the Asian community, but it hit me harder than I expected. I think it’ll be a good read for anyone, but I think a lot of Asian fans will especially see something in this book that they can relate to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Racial slurs