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ruelgaviola 's review for:
Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir
by Eddie Huang
Eddie Huang's brash, in-your-face memoir is nothing like the show that was inspired by it. Yes, his life's story is full of funny moments, but they're nothing that would ever be aired by a Disney-owned corporation. Not unless Mickey and the gang are okay with underage drinking, smoking, hustling, and other unsavory things that some kids do in real life.
The first half of the book was a bit tiresome, with page after page of Eddie being the bad boy. Maybe it was to establish his "street cred," but it's pretty repetitive: Eddie isn't great at school, Eddie drinks and gets high, Eddie's family isn't perfect, Eddie gets into fights, etc. He doesn't fit into the model minority myth and he details all of his exploits to ensure that the reader knows this. He talks trash, calls others Uncle Chans, and quotes hip hop lyrics non-stop.
It's only in the second half of the book where I started enjoying it. A lot. Huang finds his groove in college, after a run-in with the law. While he ponders opening his own restaurant (following in his father's footsteps, much to his parents' chagrin), Huang calls out the establishment, pointing out hypocrisies in American society, and questions the roles that Asian Americans play in the United States. His opinions on race are insightful and can open much-needed discussions. For example, he talks about the problems within his own community: "It may seem contradictory to say I want people to preserve their culture and then reject certain things like the model-minority expectations, a la carte, but there is a fine distinction to be made between stereotypes and actual culture. In my Chinese America, I don’t care if you have high SAT scores or use chopsticks. All I want to know is if you are aware of shared problems and issues due to our skin, eyes, and country of origin."
Fresh Off the Boat will not be for everyone. Huang does not pull any punches with mainstream society and its treatment of minorities, but he's smart enough to own up to his shortcomings: "Once again, my dad knew something I didn’t. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t just that I was Asian. I was a loud-mouthed, brash, broken Asian who had no respect for authority in any form, whether it was a parent, teacher, or country. Not only was I not white, to many people I wasn’t Asian either." It's this honesty about society, and more importantly himself, that make this such a compelling read.
The first half of the book was a bit tiresome, with page after page of Eddie being the bad boy. Maybe it was to establish his "street cred," but it's pretty repetitive: Eddie isn't great at school, Eddie drinks and gets high, Eddie's family isn't perfect, Eddie gets into fights, etc. He doesn't fit into the model minority myth and he details all of his exploits to ensure that the reader knows this. He talks trash, calls others Uncle Chans, and quotes hip hop lyrics non-stop.
It's only in the second half of the book where I started enjoying it. A lot. Huang finds his groove in college, after a run-in with the law. While he ponders opening his own restaurant (following in his father's footsteps, much to his parents' chagrin), Huang calls out the establishment, pointing out hypocrisies in American society, and questions the roles that Asian Americans play in the United States. His opinions on race are insightful and can open much-needed discussions. For example, he talks about the problems within his own community: "It may seem contradictory to say I want people to preserve their culture and then reject certain things like the model-minority expectations, a la carte, but there is a fine distinction to be made between stereotypes and actual culture. In my Chinese America, I don’t care if you have high SAT scores or use chopsticks. All I want to know is if you are aware of shared problems and issues due to our skin, eyes, and country of origin."
Fresh Off the Boat will not be for everyone. Huang does not pull any punches with mainstream society and its treatment of minorities, but he's smart enough to own up to his shortcomings: "Once again, my dad knew something I didn’t. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t just that I was Asian. I was a loud-mouthed, brash, broken Asian who had no respect for authority in any form, whether it was a parent, teacher, or country. Not only was I not white, to many people I wasn’t Asian either." It's this honesty about society, and more importantly himself, that make this such a compelling read.