Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Making a Scene

Admittedly, I didn’t know much of anything about Constance Wu before listening to her audiobook. I knew she was an actor and mother but that’s it. I’ve never watched Fresh Off the Boat or Crazy Rich Asians. I didn’t know anything about her “ungrateful” tweet (thank you google search) or about the SH she experienced at the hands of a producer; referred to only as M— .

To me, this felt more like a “let me tell you *my* side of the story” memoir; which is totally in her right to publish. I guess I just didn’t feel connected to her story becuase I am not familiar with her career.

In the end it was entertaining. some essays were sad and upsetting, others were cute and funny. I don’t regret borrowing it from the library. And I will definitely be adding FOTB and CRA to my watch list.

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aturb92's review

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

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addytunn's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

This is the first book I finished all the way through... with my ears.
And I loved it! Constance Wu shined with the narration of the book, and I swear I could hear her tear up during a certain part. It felt so authentic and unapologetically her.

The one thing I'd tell anyone before reading is that this book is not put in chronological order, and is quite literally a collection of essays. One moment there's an extremely candid chapter about her time in Hollywood, to bubbly childhood memories. If you do decide to check this out, listen to it! You won't regret it.

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angechen's review

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emotional reflective fast-paced

3.5

The difference between MAKING A SCENE and other memoirs is that in other memoirs, the scene makes the person — the life is driven by the external hardship.

In her book, Constance Wu makes the scenes.

It takes courage to tell one’s story the way Wu does. She unabashedly exposes her flaws, her self-reflections are full of contradictions, and, even if the essays are tied nicely with a bow, they still betray the unresolved. Wu is messy and passionate and vibrant, simultaneously breaking out of and boxing herself into expected femininity.

There’s an overlying narrative of what “making a scene” meant — times where she was loved for it, times she held back, and times she couldn’t help herself — that could have been tighter had essays been ordered differently and/or cut.

Highlights were essays about her relationships with her family; the one about her parents particularly moved me. I also enjoyed the story about her actor FWB for the celeb tea

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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I went in to this thinking it was a memoir, and it's not really—it's a collection of personal essays. They bounce around in time and theme, so don't be like me and expect a memoir when reading this!

That being said, these essays are deeply personal and honest. I didn't know much about Constance Wu, beyond having seen her in Crazy Rich Asians (I haven't watched Fresh Off the Boat...), but this book made me admire her and empathize with her. She doesn't hide her flaws or her strengths. She's funny and humorous but is serious when the topic needs it.

One story that stuck with me was about when she was a kid and she wrote something for a class that she was proud of. Her teacher thought it was so good that there was no way she could have written it and accused her of plagiarism...and then proceeded to embarrass her in front of her other teachers (and no one sticks up for her)...honestly it was so heartbreaking, and how it stayed with her and affected her love of writing...you should read the book for the rest of the story, but I'm very glad that Constance got to write this book.

Anyways, an excellent nonfiction read! The author narrates the audio, so I would definitely recommend that route.

Thanks to Libro.fm, Simon & Schuster Audio, and the author for my ALC.

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sarahkillian16's review

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reflective slow-paced

3.75

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