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rainbowofcrazy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was fabulous.
If you're looking for a book that focuses on Marvel, this ain't it. And that's not a bad thing! This really focused on everything that led up to the moment when Simu found out that he got the role of Shang-Chi. In fact, a good chunk of this book follows his parents' lives, how they were brought up, how they lived, how they met and became a family. He takes great care to really paint a picture of what led to his parents' decision to put him under his grandparents' care for his first few years, while they worked overseas. I wouldn't skip one moment of this book either because his parents' story is FASCINATING. I was never bored at any moment.
He doesn't shy away from the darker moments of his life. His relationship with his parents was always incredibly strained and some of it was honestly disturbing to read (hear) about. Trigger warning: physical and verbal abuse, ahoy. His parents were well-meaning but lacked the emotional support that you would hope parents would provide, and it was hard to take in at times. He didn't try to paint them as entirely evil either; they went above and beyond to support him with his education and other financial means, and he always made sure to note the times when they were, in retrospect, right, and when he was an ass. I appreciated that he didn't shy away from admitting that he did a lot of stupid things growing up as well.
This would definitely resonate with others that may have these rocky relationships with their parents, particularly immigrants with generational differences. And despite the emotional hardships, this is also such an inspiring story for first and second generation immigrants as he talks about everything his family did to survive, find their way to the US and Canada, and ultimately thrive.
The majority of the read focuses more on his parents' lives and his life growing up. It eventually steers into how he got into the entertainment industry, how he became more invested and outspoken about the topic of race, and how he finally got to audition for Shang-Chi.
He also does talk about how he got his role in Kim's Convenience. He was pretty honest about how he felt about the series by the end of it, which I appreciated and agree with, tbh. (The quality of the show really dipped in the last few seasons, IMO.) I kind of wish he spent more time talking about the show and his experiences with it because as a fan of it, I would've loved to know more about his experiences there. It felt like he kind of glossed over it at times, but eh, the lack of commenting probably speaks for itself, right?
I would have loved to see more about the topic of race near the end. And I'd also love to know more about how his relationship with his parents may have changed with the rise of Marvel, and more about the rise of Simu Liu, really, but give it a few years and.. sequel? Maybe???
Always bonus points to the author that narrates their own book as well. Get the audiobook! Simu has a fantastic voice for narrating and my goodness, the emotion in his voice when he talked about the more traumatic or emotional moments in his life, whew. Every time he talked about the love he has for his grandparents (who, spoiler alert, passed away before the release of Shang-Chi), it was so incredibly emotional. His tearing up made me wanna tear up <3
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
natnurdock's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Pedophilia
amanda_serenity's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
lyricallit's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
He tells his story with humor and raw honesty. I would have loved to hear a little more about the transition in his relationship with his parents from hostile to healing (therapy? influence of his grandparents? ) But the honesty on both his and his parents' part is truly admirable. He reads his memoir well, and the emotion in his voice when he chokes back tears talking about his grandparents knocked me flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts