Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

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

17 reviews

teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition

funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

I saw a video where Simu shared some of his thoughts that I felt were really thoughtful. I can't say I've seen many of the shows, movies, etc. he's been in, and so I was not really familiar with his work. However, I saw his memoir on my library's page and thought I'd give it a go. The memoir, as with his video was very thoughtful and honest. He did not shy away from the hard things, but still approached them with attention and care. I found myself enjoying the first "act" the most and coming to understand a bit of the background of what brought him to where he is now. As the acts went on, I felt less interested an engaged. I felt some important storylines (such as the reconciliation with his parents) was not fully addressed. I absolutely understand that this is his story to tell, but it was a big part of the story and it felt unfinished. I still appreciated the journey he took us on and that he did not sugarcoat the hard parts.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment

Minor: Cursing, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and War

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

3.75

Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 4 stars

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia

Minor: Racial slurs and Suicidal thoughts

ernis's review

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

5.0

Really well-written memoir by Simu. While some parts were hilarious, there was also a lot of sobering trauma that was discussed. Overall an honest, often humorous account of his and his family's experience in moving to Canada and of the realities facing Asian communities and individuals in North America today.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

qrschulte's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Incredibly vulnerable and heartfelt, this memoir is highly relatable to anyone who’s ever felt the weight of familial and societal expectations. The audiobook is incredible, and you can really feel how much the decisions his family made affect him. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Animal death, Death, Medical content, and Alcohol

katetravelsinbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse

Minor: Racial slurs and Cultural appropriation

felofhe's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

mxbenjaminrose's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs

btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexism and Classism

TW: mentions HP multiple times

kelly_e's review against another edition

funny hopeful fast-paced

3.25

Title: We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story
Author: Simu Liu
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: May 16, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Quick • Entertaining • Repetitive

📖 S Y N O P S I S

We Were Dreamers details Canadian actor Simu Liu's journey from China to Canada and the bright lights of Hollywood.

Beginning in China, where Simu was left in the care of his grandparents as his parents forged a future in Canada. It is out of the blue that Simu's father shows up, whisking him away from the only home he'd ever known. Life in Canada was a difficult transition for Simu, as he was separated from those around him by culture, language and values.

Growing up, he did everything to appease his parents, but over time it became harder and harder to keep up the charade. When as a young adult, he find himself unemployed and ashamed, it is an ad on Craigslist that will change everything for him.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I will admit to falling victim to the hype when it comes to We Were Dreamers, as I had no clue who Simu Liu was before listening to his memoir, but when it became available from my library as an express loan I decided to give it a try.

I definitely think that because I didn't know who he was, my experience definitely wasn't the same as other readers have had. Divided into three acts, I enjoyed the first section about his childhood, but found myself caring less and less as it progressed.

What I did appreciate is the exploration of parental expectations and cultural stereotypes. Parts were certainly hard to read, but I also had to remind myself that this was Simu's side of the story. I also think the reconciliation between himself and his parents definitely could have been explored more to make for a more seamless transition from one act to the next.

Overall, this memoir was culturally informative and entertaining to listen to, but I'd also have been completely okay having skipped it. If you're a Simu Liu fan you'll probably enjoy it a lot more than I did, and in my opinion this is a book made for audio as opposed to print form, as his expressive voice adds to the story.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• celebrity memoir enthusiasts
• Marvel fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Whether you like it or not, you're getting better at something every day." 

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Classism

Minor: Cursing and Suicidal thoughts

madisonfrank's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

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