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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu
55 reviews
bkschwartz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.75
This is one of the best contemporary autobiographies I’ve read!
I enjoy reading the memoirs of people involved in the film and tv industry and being a Marvel fan was excited when I found this one by Simu Liu. I was in no way prepared for the brutal honesty and heart wrenching experiences he shares. His openness is inspiring.
I enjoy reading the memoirs of people involved in the film and tv industry and being a Marvel fan was excited when I found this one by Simu Liu. I was in no way prepared for the brutal honesty and heart wrenching experiences he shares. His openness is inspiring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism
amy_not_schumer's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
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
brittneyk's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.0
Simu Liu's narration was the best part of this book, his pacing and engagement in reading the material made it a more enjoyable listen.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Racism
rachelkwashe's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
maybak's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I haven’t watched any of his films yet but I added this memoir to my TBR list a while ago. I listened to the audiobook version which he brilliantly narrated. The pace, the emotion, the tone… it’s well executed.
I didn’t know much about his personal story and I wasn’t expecting so much transparency in how he depicted his relationship with his parents. I’m not Chinese nor Asian but I’m also the daughter of immigrants. There was so much I could relate to despite us having completely different lives and roots. I like that he dedicated part of his memoir to setting the scene for us so we could understand what it was like growing up in China, being raised by his grandparents and how he ended up in Canada. It really helps paint a clear and informative picture about his cultural background, his parents’ work ethic, the challenges they faced throughout their lives and how that affected their relationship when he was a child, a teen, and a young adult.
I also enjoyed the parts where he discussed the importance of representation, of the celebration of his Chinese culture, the challenges faced by kids of Asian descent and how they rekindle with their motherland’s culture. It’s very interesting as I ponder the similarities with growing up as a diaspora kid with roots in Africa.
He seemed obnoxious and self-centered, at times, but I feel he has done his best to let us in into his world—qualities, flaws and all. In my book, that’s what a good memoir does. It helps you connect and understand who the author really is, and what experiences shaped their life.
I didn’t know much about his personal story and I wasn’t expecting so much transparency in how he depicted his relationship with his parents. I’m not Chinese nor Asian but I’m also the daughter of immigrants. There was so much I could relate to despite us having completely different lives and roots. I like that he dedicated part of his memoir to setting the scene for us so we could understand what it was like growing up in China, being raised by his grandparents and how he ended up in Canada. It really helps paint a clear and informative picture about his cultural background, his parents’ work ethic, the challenges they faced throughout their lives and how that affected their relationship when he was a child, a teen, and a young adult.
I also enjoyed the parts where he discussed the importance of representation, of the celebration of his Chinese culture, the challenges faced by kids of Asian descent and how they rekindle with their motherland’s culture. It’s very interesting as I ponder the similarities with growing up as a diaspora kid with roots in Africa.
He seemed obnoxious and self-centered, at times, but I feel he has done his best to let us in into his world—qualities, flaws and all. In my book, that’s what a good memoir does. It helps you connect and understand who the author really is, and what experiences shaped their life.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Racism
tori_in_paris's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
This is a special book, and audiobook is one in a million. Hearing Simu narrate his own tales of triumph and tragedy made me feel like I was listening to a friend. He would crack jokes like MCU hero he is and I would laugh until I couldn’t breathe, and he would talk about his love for his family and I would cry until I couldn’t see. The raw emotion in the story is palpable at every stage, you can picture his smirking, self-deprecating smile, and when his voice cracks your heart breaks open. This is a book for Canadians, Chinese, immigrants, survivors, and dreamers; this is a story for all.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse
the_wandering_wisp's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racism and Xenophobia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
readandfindout's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
Style/writing: 3.5 stars
Themes: 4 stars
Perspective: 4 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
rainbowofcrazy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This was fabulous.
If you're looking for a book that focuses on Marvel, this ain't it. And that's not a bad thing! This really focused on everything that led up to the moment when Simu found out that he got the role of Shang-Chi. In fact, a good chunk of this book follows his parents' lives, how they were brought up, how they lived, how they met and became a family. He takes great care to really paint a picture of what led to his parents' decision to put him under his grandparents' care for his first few years, while they worked overseas. I wouldn't skip one moment of this book either because his parents' story is FASCINATING. I was never bored at any moment.
He doesn't shy away from the darker moments of his life. His relationship with his parents was always incredibly strained and some of it was honestly disturbing to read (hear) about. Trigger warning: physical and verbal abuse, ahoy. His parents were well-meaning but lacked the emotional support that you would hope parents would provide, and it was hard to take in at times. He didn't try to paint them as entirely evil either; they went above and beyond to support him with his education and other financial means, and he always made sure to note the times when they were, in retrospect, right, and when he was an ass. I appreciated that he didn't shy away from admitting that he did a lot of stupid things growing up as well.
This would definitely resonate with others that may have these rocky relationships with their parents, particularly immigrants with generational differences. And despite the emotional hardships, this is also such an inspiring story for first and second generation immigrants as he talks about everything his family did to survive, find their way to the US and Canada, and ultimately thrive.
The majority of the read focuses more on his parents' lives and his life growing up. It eventually steers into how he got into the entertainment industry, how he became more invested and outspoken about the topic of race, and how he finally got to audition for Shang-Chi.
He also does talk about how he got his role in Kim's Convenience. He was pretty honest about how he felt about the series by the end of it, which I appreciated and agree with, tbh. (The quality of the show really dipped in the last few seasons, IMO.) I kind of wish he spent more time talking about the show and his experiences with it because as a fan of it, I would've loved to know more about his experiences there. It felt like he kind of glossed over it at times, but eh, the lack of commenting probably speaks for itself, right?
I would have loved to see more about the topic of race near the end. And I'd also love to know more about how his relationship with his parents may have changed with the rise of Marvel, and more about the rise of Simu Liu, really, but give it a few years and.. sequel? Maybe???
Always bonus points to the author that narrates their own book as well. Get the audiobook! Simu has a fantastic voice for narrating and my goodness, the emotion in his voice when he talked about the more traumatic or emotional moments in his life, whew. Every time he talked about the love he has for his grandparents (who, spoiler alert, passed away before the release of Shang-Chi), it was so incredibly emotional. His tearing up made me wanna tear up <3
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism