Reviews tagging Physical abuse

We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, by Simu Liu

18 reviews

madisonfrank's review

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Classism, Cursing, Child abuse, and Grief

_inge's review

medium-paced

4.0

Everything about this felt so genuine. Simu was so open about everything (with thanks to his parents for giving permission too), and in the audiobook expressed emotions through his voice in a really authentic way. He’s a good actor of course, but he couldn’t have faked laughing at some of his childhood memories or his voice shaking when expressing gratitude for those who are no longer with us. Usually if I read a celebrity memoire I just want them to give details about a film and spill the tea, but Simu made me genuinely interested in his personal life. This book taught me a lot about the immigrant experience and about the Chinese one in general, for which I’m very grateful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Abandonment

imstephtacular's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Hate crime, Cursing, Xenophobia, Violence, and Racism

Minor: Bullying, Sexism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Hate crime, War, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment

laurenthefox's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse

onemorepagecrew's review

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

5.0

This year has given us celebrity memoir gold and We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu is no exception.  I loved it so much! 

 

I saw many positive reviews from friends here on bookstagram and I was excited to get into the audio over the weekend.  I ended up finishing it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, it was the perfect blend of reflective and witty.  I look for memoirs to be either entertaining or emotionally vulnerable, so to have one hit both notes is great. 

 

In this memoir, Liu goes back to his childhood in China and explains a bit about his grandparents’ and parents’ experiences, along with the key aspects of Chinese culture that influenced their personal and parenting choices.  He speaks to his experience immigrating to Canada at a young age and the abuse he faced once arriving.  

 

He takes the reader into his teen and adult years, talking about both his career and his family dynamics.  It’s such a well-told story that centers his reconciliation with the events of his life without losing accountability for the adults in his life that failed him as a child.  

 

It’s also a story of healing and growth - it’s clear he has had therapy and I love to see it.  If you enjoy a deep memoir with humor and self-awareness, this is a fantastic choice. 

 

Content warnings: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Child abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

pammicmac's review

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse

marisa_n's review against another edition

dark hopeful lighthearted slow-paced

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Classism

mochimelissa's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse and Child abuse

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Xenophobia

scmorgan21's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Violence, and Physical abuse

thealyssa_ann's review

emotional inspiring fast-paced

4.0

I definitely have a thing for celebrity memoirs and this is a real standout. You can literally hear the emotion and the heart that went into the telling of Simu’s story as he reads it. I really really appreciate that he didn’t shy away from really difficult topics, including emotional and physical abuse that is often glossed over in this genre. Plus any book that ends with telling me to hug my family and my dog immediately has my heart. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse