Reviews tagging Abandonment

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

5 reviews

_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. 

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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

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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

yclepit's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Child abuse

daniellekat's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

Overall I was a little disappointed by this. The first Act of the book was by far my favourite. It was beautifully written and touching, but still maintained a lighthearted humour. 
The beginning of Act 2 was incredible and raw. The reader really got insight at how Simu’s formative years and experiences shaped him as a person (for better or worse). But by the end of Act 2, I was disengaged. Simu’s university days were described in so much detail and as a Canadian, I was annoyed by the constant use of words like “freshman, sophomore, etc.” Canadians don’t use that terminology and the “Americanization” of some of the language in the book just left it feeling inauthentic.
I have very mixed feelings about Act 3. I loved reading about Simu’s struggle and ownership of his identity as a minority, and I think that narrative could resonate with many readers (myself included). BUT the entire 3rd Act was just “I worked hard and this thing happened or I worked hard and I failed so I worked even harder.” Honestly it was just boring to get through. I missed reading the rawness of his relationship with his parents and how they worked on healing their relationship. 
Ultimately the writing was entertaining (I think it would have been even better in audio format) and if you’re a fan of Simu Liu I would recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Racial slurs

theespressoedition's review

emotional funny inspiring

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Abandonment

Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Racism

Minor: Cursing