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saucy_bookdragon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
Constance Wu seems really down to earth and humorous and I liked a few of these essays, particularly the ones about her time on Fresh Off the Boat and her Twitter villain era (I guess X villain era now, ugh), the time her middle school teacher accused her of plagiarism (that was fucking cruel), and the final one about her parents.
That said, there's not much tying these essays together and I wish she'd gone into some more interesting anecdotes, particularly around her time in Hollywood, or that there'd been more introspection into the anecdotes we got. I kind of don't want to be like "she needed to share more" because god knows sharing this much about your life with the world must be hard, but also if you're writing a memoir you need to either have really interesting experiences like Jeanette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died or the ability to show what your experiences mean to you like Michelle Zauner's Crying In H Mart. Though there are essays with both these traits, there are some without that drag the book down, especially in how random it feels.
That said, there's not much tying these essays together and I wish she'd gone into some more interesting anecdotes, particularly around her time in Hollywood, or that there'd been more introspection into the anecdotes we got. I kind of don't want to be like "she needed to share more" because god knows sharing this much about your life with the world must be hard, but also if you're writing a memoir you need to either have really interesting experiences like Jeanette McCurdy's I'm Glad My Mom Died or the ability to show what your experiences mean to you like Michelle Zauner's Crying In H Mart. Though there are essays with both these traits, there are some without that drag the book down, especially in how random it feels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Rape, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.5
This book was nothing at all what I anticipated. That being said, its definitely a very raw read. Wu addresses her issues she faced becoming an actress, & her issues with her relationships later in life. A little dry at times, but still pretty good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, and Violence
btw0825's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment
leximichiko's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Sexual assault
issyd23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Best book I’ve read this year 5🎭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Racism, and Toxic friendship
readingwithcoffee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I enjoyed this Snapchat of Constance Wu in her late thirties but I think the book she writes in her fifties or sixties we’ll be much better.
Her mostly low self esteem in the book can be odd in the book and at times make it seem like she’s being overly hard on herself or making herself more of an underdog then she might be but given what she meant through and the idea of being easily replaceable was what one Asian American producer dangled over her to sexually harass her for years I think it make sense if you step back even if it can make you wish she stepped back a bit when recounting certain events. Largely though I thought a weakness of the book was Wu being what seemed afraid of being too easy on herself, or hard on others that leads to a lot of acceptance and forgiveness of men who frankly don’t deserve it. That said in her own words Wu finds forgiving others how they harmed her a way to free herself from victim blaming herself which I think is important to be patient with, though I think some people who experienced similar harm will find really foreign to their experiences and needs if not more averse to it.
I really liked her like many other women of color talking about harm within the community being used to silence you because you’re afraid of harming the community by talking about how you are experiencing harm from someone within it or a prominent “ally”. I also really liked how she talked about when she gave a disjointed but frankly understandable and over judged response to the show she was abused being renewed no one cared that an out of character out burst signaled something was probably wrong in her life in some way but care at the idea she lost face or wasn’t grateful enough for crumbs. Similarly how she talks about how both non Asians and Asians try to force her mom to fit a Tiger mom stereotype she doesn’t to suit their comforts and limited ideas of Asians and women.
I loved the taxi Can story in NYC though I understand why someone could look at this essay collection and wonder why some were included at all and while non linear essays or books are fine there definitely were times the transitions were rough and it seemed like starting all over even if multiple events and things layer to make us who we are now.
Her mostly low self esteem in the book can be odd in the book and at times make it seem like she’s being overly hard on herself or making herself more of an underdog then she might be but given what she meant through and the idea of being easily replaceable was what one Asian American producer dangled over her to sexually harass her for years I think it make sense if you step back even if it can make you wish she stepped back a bit when recounting certain events. Largely though I thought a weakness of the book was Wu being what seemed afraid of being too easy on herself, or hard on others that leads to a lot of acceptance and forgiveness of men who frankly don’t deserve it. That said in her own words Wu finds forgiving others how they harmed her a way to free herself from victim blaming herself which I think is important to be patient with, though I think some people who experienced similar harm will find really foreign to their experiences and needs if not more averse to it.
I really liked her like many other women of color talking about harm within the community being used to silence you because you’re afraid of harming the community by talking about how you are experiencing harm from someone within it or a prominent “ally”. I also really liked how she talked about when she gave a disjointed but frankly understandable and over judged response to the show she was abused being renewed no one cared that an out of character out burst signaled something was probably wrong in her life in some way but care at the idea she lost face or wasn’t grateful enough for crumbs. Similarly how she talks about how both non Asians and Asians try to force her mom to fit a Tiger mom stereotype she doesn’t to suit their comforts and limited ideas of Asians and women.
I loved the taxi Can story in NYC though I understand why someone could look at this essay collection and wonder why some were included at all and while non linear essays or books are fine there definitely were times the transitions were rough and it seemed like starting all over even if multiple events and things layer to make us who we are now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, and Rape
rachreads925's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.5
Discombobulated since it isn't linear. Some of the essays felt irrelevant to an overall story that the author Constance Wu was trying to tell about who she is and how she got there. There were a few interesting parts, but overall it just wasn't that insightful or exciting. I don't feel I know more about the author than I could have learned from reading a few interviews and Wikipedia (and sometimes less, since she doesn't even name the boyfriend she had a baby with). This isn't really a memoir, more like an essay collection about her life. I wouldn't recommend it, and only kept reading to see if it got better but it didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Rape
aishallnot's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
3.5
3.75
I knew about Constance from her show fresh off the boat, so it was nice to have already know who she was for some years. I remember the controversy surrounding her tweets about the shows renewal and the backlash that followed, but after that we never saw much of her in the spotlight. Even though I've never seen any of her projects, I'm glad I read this book to hear more about who she is as a person and as an actress bc many still see her for acting 'out of character' due to her tweets. She has a great gift in writing and you can clearly see that her acting and writing go hand in hand. There were some parts of the book that were written like a screenplay which I thought was cool considering the title of this book.
Unfortunately, I do agree with a lot of the reviews about how her memoir was executed. It was a unique approach writing in essay format, however they did feel scattered and even random at times in terms of subject matter. Her first essay starts out in adulthood, then another from when she was in high then, then a a child, etc, and I think if they were chronological, the story would be easy to follow. Also there were moments were some of her essays (or even maybe a few essay) felt like stream of consciousness, yet she was able bring her writing back to the overall narrative.
I think this her story overall just proves how she was able to own her voice and be authentic to herself. If you're going to read this bc of the backlash she got, there is an essay about what led up to that moment, but I'd say to read the book in general to get a grasp of who she is. There were times I found myself relating to her and for someone like constance who is a celebrity (and actress at that) is also proof that she is no different from anyone else and also has her struggles.
I knew about Constance from her show fresh off the boat, so it was nice to have already know who she was for some years. I remember the controversy surrounding her tweets about the shows renewal and the backlash that followed, but after that we never saw much of her in the spotlight. Even though I've never seen any of her projects, I'm glad I read this book to hear more about who she is as a person and as an actress bc many still see her for acting 'out of character' due to her tweets. She has a great gift in writing and you can clearly see that her acting and writing go hand in hand. There were some parts of the book that were written like a screenplay which I thought was cool considering the title of this book.
Unfortunately, I do agree with a lot of the reviews about how her memoir was executed. It was a unique approach writing in essay format, however they did feel scattered and even random at times in terms of subject matter. Her first essay starts out in adulthood, then another from when she was in high then, then a a child, etc, and I think if they were chronological, the story would be easy to follow. Also there were moments were some of her essays (or even maybe a few essay) felt like stream of consciousness, yet she was able bring her writing back to the overall narrative.
I think this her story overall just proves how she was able to own her voice and be authentic to herself. If you're going to read this bc of the backlash she got, there is an essay about what led up to that moment, but I'd say to read the book in general to get a grasp of who she is. There were times I found myself relating to her and for someone like constance who is a celebrity (and actress at that) is also proof that she is no different from anyone else and also has her struggles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Racism
l1brarygirl's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Racism, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy
ukponge's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual harassment