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carrie562 's review for:
Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir
by Eddie Huang
Four stars ... yes, even though it's written in hip-hop street slang which made it a bit of work to decode (and impenetrable in places), yes, even though the author is very, very angry at everything, especially white people, yes, even though he rather unfairly negatively characterizes America and white people and "typical" Asian-Americans and basically anyone educated and successful.
In other words, four stars, because even though I do not share much in common with this author nor necessarily agree with his conclusions about life, I still found the book stimulating and highly enjoyable.
Huang's passion and intensity really makes this book. Although his passionate nature comes out as fierce anger much of the time, his delight in the details of his hobbies drew me in. He doesn't just listen to hip-hop, he lives it. He doesn't just eat, he dissects and savors and analyzes. And this is where I felt a connection with him.
The undercurrent of everything he goes through in the book is his deep longing for approval from his parents, which is not happening because that's not how old-world Asian parents behave. So he's already carrying this hurt and anger around when he goes out to meet the world, which, predictably, contains many fools, racists, bullies, and generally unsatisfactory persons, whom Eddie excoriates mercilessly. It's particularly interesting to me how he's filled with vitriol toward Asian-Americans who focus on a narrow vision of academic and career success, and dismisses them as "trying to be white" -- meanwhile, he's focused on hip-hop, the NBA, sneakers and streetwear, and by his own logic it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's "trying to be black." He's full of these kind of contradictions, and yet I couldn't help but root for him in his various questionable enterprises as he struggles toward finding his place in the world.
I appreciated the opportunity to read about a slice of society that I've never personally experienced and I even emjoyed deciphering the street vernacular. Eddie Huang clearly put a lot of thought into this memoir and he successfully immerses the reader in his head, his world. Raw, honest, and thought-provoking.
In other words, four stars, because even though I do not share much in common with this author nor necessarily agree with his conclusions about life, I still found the book stimulating and highly enjoyable.
Huang's passion and intensity really makes this book. Although his passionate nature comes out as fierce anger much of the time, his delight in the details of his hobbies drew me in. He doesn't just listen to hip-hop, he lives it. He doesn't just eat, he dissects and savors and analyzes. And this is where I felt a connection with him.
The undercurrent of everything he goes through in the book is his deep longing for approval from his parents, which is not happening because that's not how old-world Asian parents behave. So he's already carrying this hurt and anger around when he goes out to meet the world, which, predictably, contains many fools, racists, bullies, and generally unsatisfactory persons, whom Eddie excoriates mercilessly. It's particularly interesting to me how he's filled with vitriol toward Asian-Americans who focus on a narrow vision of academic and career success, and dismisses them as "trying to be white" -- meanwhile, he's focused on hip-hop, the NBA, sneakers and streetwear, and by his own logic it wouldn't be a stretch to say he's "trying to be black." He's full of these kind of contradictions, and yet I couldn't help but root for him in his various questionable enterprises as he struggles toward finding his place in the world.
I appreciated the opportunity to read about a slice of society that I've never personally experienced and I even emjoyed deciphering the street vernacular. Eddie Huang clearly put a lot of thought into this memoir and he successfully immerses the reader in his head, his world. Raw, honest, and thought-provoking.