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Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'
We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu
16 reviews
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
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Hate crime, Cursing, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Bullying, Sexism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Hate crime, War, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
onemorepagecrew's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
This year has given us celebrity memoir gold and We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu is no exception. I loved it so much!
I saw many positive reviews from friends here on bookstagram and I was excited to get into the audio over the weekend. I ended up finishing it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, it was the perfect blend of reflective and witty. I look for memoirs to be either entertaining or emotionally vulnerable, so to have one hit both notes is great.
In this memoir, Liu goes back to his childhood in China and explains a bit about his grandparents’ and parents’ experiences, along with the key aspects of Chinese culture that influenced their personal and parenting choices. He speaks to his experience immigrating to Canada at a young age and the abuse he faced once arriving.
He takes the reader into his teen and adult years, talking about both his career and his family dynamics. It’s such a well-told story that centers his reconciliation with the events of his life without losing accountability for the adults in his life that failed him as a child.
It’s also a story of healing and growth - it’s clear he has had therapy and I love to see it. If you enjoy a deep memoir with humor and self-awareness, this is a fantastic choice.
Content warnings: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
daniellekat's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Overall I was a little disappointed by this. The first Act of the book was by far my favourite. It was beautifully written and touching, but still maintained a lighthearted humour.
The beginning of Act 2 was incredible and raw. The reader really got insight at how Simu’s formative years and experiences shaped him as a person (for better or worse). But by the end of Act 2, I was disengaged. Simu’s university days were described in so much detail and as a Canadian, I was annoyed by the constant use of words like “freshman, sophomore, etc.” Canadians don’t use that terminology and the “Americanization” of some of the language in the book just left it feeling inauthentic.
I have very mixed feelings about Act 3. I loved reading about Simu’s struggle and ownership of his identity as a minority, and I think that narrative could resonate with many readers (myself included). BUT the entire 3rd Act was just “I worked hard and this thing happened or I worked hard and I failed so I worked even harder.” Honestly it was just boring to get through. I missed reading the rawness of his relationship with his parents and how they worked on healing their relationship.
Ultimately the writing was entertaining (I think it would have been even better in audio format) and if you’re a fan of Simu Liu I would recommend.
The beginning of Act 2 was incredible and raw. The reader really got insight at how Simu’s formative years and experiences shaped him as a person (for better or worse). But by the end of Act 2, I was disengaged. Simu’s university days were described in so much detail and as a Canadian, I was annoyed by the constant use of words like “freshman, sophomore, etc.” Canadians don’t use that terminology and the “Americanization” of some of the language in the book just left it feeling inauthentic.
I have very mixed feelings about Act 3. I loved reading about Simu’s struggle and ownership of his identity as a minority, and I think that narrative could resonate with many readers (myself included). BUT the entire 3rd Act was just “I worked hard and this thing happened or I worked hard and I failed so I worked even harder.” Honestly it was just boring to get through. I missed reading the rawness of his relationship with his parents and how they worked on healing their relationship.
Ultimately the writing was entertaining (I think it would have been even better in audio format) and if you’re a fan of Simu Liu I would recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Racial slurs
cheyrohm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
Definitely opt for the audiobook on this one, as it's read by Simu himself!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Racial slurs and Racism
jessicastephenson's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
As a huge fan of Kim's Convenience and by extension, Simu, I was so excited to read this book. I loved the backstory of his parents he included; it brought better context to his relationship with them and was generally informative of life in China. Perhaps the thing I loved most about this book was the way in which I can relate to Simu's struggle in pursuing a career he himself dreamed of, not one that was dreamed up for him by others. Admittedly I do not face the same challenges in life as Simu considering I am a white woman, but I've gone through a similar journey of self discovery that was stilted at first due to the pressures and expectations of my family. This was an awesome read that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
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