Reviews with content warning for Racism - Making a Scene

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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thebakerbookworm's review

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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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thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition

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dark informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

An interesting insight into Constance Wu's life from childhood to the recent horrific bullying that lead to her abandoning social media and almost cost her her life.

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anocturne's review

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reflective slow-paced

3.0

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autumn_alwaysreadingseason's review against another edition

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3.5

As with most celebrity memoirs, the audiobook really makes the experience. Constance Wu delivers her memoir-in-essays with an easy humor. It feels like a friend telling the reader stories. She speaks of her childhood--a ruptured relationship with her younger sister, a teacher who wrongfully accuses her of plagiarism--as well as her growing interest in acting and the study of that craft. She details times spent with various lovers, her devotion to her pet rabbit, and an ode to her first cars. In the latter half, she discusses the controversy over her Fresh off the Boat tweets briefly and the reasons for her time away from social media. Because the structure is more essay-like, the timeline is non-linear and certain facts are repeated. I wished it was just a bit more cohesive, but I did enjoy getting to know Constance.

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skillwithaquill's review

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.0

In a lot of ways, this book shouldn’t be my cup of tea.

There’s so many stories in this book about men and boyfriends and breakups that I rarely if ever seek out in media. I can’t relate to the pressure of “always having a boyfriend since [she] was a teenager” and constantly struggling to make relationships work. That’s never been my experience and sometimes I disconnect with memoirs that are so driven by overwrought romantic entanglements.

But this book deftly weaves poetic themes, imagery, and insight into those relationship stories. They don’t feel trite or boring or too self-indulgent. I did have trouble keeping all the different boyfriends’ names straight by the end of the book, but that’s my fault and not the author’s.

The very uniquely female fear of being labeled and dismissed as “difficult” is interwoven expertly throughout her stories. Even in childhood, girls & AFAB folks are punished for standing up for themselves with ostracism and harsh criticism. It’s a never-ending battle.

I’d rather be a difficult bitch than a push-over or a pick-me any day. But I still have sympathy for those who think they must be push-overs or pick-mes to be accepted and loved. I think this memoir has sympathy for that phenomenon too.

The book gave me more to think about than I expected, which is always a nice surprise.

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btwnprintedpgs's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

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