Making a Scene
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- Create Date：2022-10-05 18:21:33
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Constance Wu
- ISBN：1982188545
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Summary
Named a Most Anticipated Book by Time and Associated Press！
From actor Constance Wu， a powerful and poignant memoir-in-essays。
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond， Virginia， Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions。 “Good girls don’t make scenes，” people warned her。 And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold， emotional nature， she found an early outlet in local community theater—it was the one place where big feelings were okay—were good， even。 Acting became her refuge， her touchstone， and eventually her vocation。 At eighteen she moved to New York， where she’d spend the next ten years of her life auditioning， waiting tables， and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians。
Through raw and relatable essays， Constance shares private memories of childhood， young love and heartbreak， sexual assault and harassment， and how she “made it” in Hollywood。 Her stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye。 Making a Scene is an intimate portrait of pressures and pleasures of existing in today’s world。
From actor Constance Wu， a powerful and poignant memoir-in-essays。
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond， Virginia， Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions。 “Good girls don’t make scenes，” people warned her。 And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold， emotional nature， she found an early outlet in local community theater—it was the one place where big feelings were okay—were good， even。 Acting became her refuge， her touchstone， and eventually her vocation。 At eighteen she moved to New York， where she’d spend the next ten years of her life auditioning， waiting tables， and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians。
Through raw and relatable essays， Constance shares private memories of childhood， young love and heartbreak， sexual assault and harassment， and how she “made it” in Hollywood。 Her stories offer a behind-the-scenes look at being Asian American in the entertainment industry and the continuing evolution of her identity and influence in the public eye。 Making a Scene is an intimate portrait of pressures and pleasures of existing in today’s world。
Reviews
Cess King-Azote
，
I haven’t picked up a non-fiction in a long time but when I saw Constance Wu’s memoir？ I knew I gotta get my hands on it！ The memoir is composed of heartfelt essays， funny at times but brutally honest always。 I like her on Fresh Off The Boat and Crazy Rich Asians， but reading her book made me love her all the more！ She’s not only a good actress; but she’s also a great writer！ Love getting to know her childhood and pre-famous days。 It feels really good seeing Asians as lead characters nowadays in I haven’t picked up a non-fiction in a long time but when I saw Constance Wu’s memoir？ I knew I gotta get my hands on it！ The memoir is composed of heartfelt essays， funny at times but brutally honest always。 I like her on Fresh Off The Boat and Crazy Rich Asians， but reading her book made me love her all the more！ She’s not only a good actress; but she’s also a great writer！ Love getting to know her childhood and pre-famous days。 It feels really good seeing Asians as lead characters nowadays in mainstream tv and film， and Constance Wu is one of the pioneers that paved the way for others。 Do pick this book up or grab the audiobook if you can！ Truly worth reading！💕Thanks @simonschusterca @netgalley for my gifted ARC。 。。。more
Nobody Asked
，
I sat down with the intention of only reading the first few pages of Constance Wu's "Making a Scene。 A few hours later I had read the entire book。 Told in a series of essays， Wu exhibits the bravery necessary to share the stories closet to her heart， both happy and sad。 As someone who did not know much about her outside of her popular film and television roles， it was an honour to get to know the woman behind the scenes。 I do not often rate memoirs， as I feel it is odd to grade someone's telling I sat down with the intention of only reading the first few pages of Constance Wu's "Making a Scene。 A few hours later I had read the entire book。 Told in a series of essays， Wu exhibits the bravery necessary to share the stories closet to her heart， both happy and sad。 As someone who did not know much about her outside of her popular film and television roles， it was an honour to get to know the woman behind the scenes。 I do not often rate memoirs， as I feel it is odd to grade someone's telling of their life story， however I can not help but give this book a 5/5。 I highly recommend to all as I feel there will be at least one thing in it that everyone can relate to。 。。。more
Nobody Asked
，
I sat down with the intention of only reading the first few pages of Constance Wu's "Making a Scene。 A few hours later I had read the entire book。 Told in a series of essays， Wu exhibits the bravery necessary to share the stories closet to her heart， both happy and sad。 As someone who did not know much about her outside of her popular film and television roles， it was an honour to get to know the woman behind the scenes。 I do not often rate memoirs， as I feel it is odd to grade someone's telling I sat down with the intention of only reading the first few pages of Constance Wu's "Making a Scene。 A few hours later I had read the entire book。 Told in a series of essays， Wu exhibits the bravery necessary to share the stories closet to her heart， both happy and sad。 As someone who did not know much about her outside of her popular film and television roles， it was an honour to get to know the woman behind the scenes。 I do not often rate memoirs， as I feel it is odd to grade someone's telling of their life story， however I can not help but give this book a 5/5。 I highly recommend to all as I feel there will be at least one thing in it that everyone can relate to。 。。。more
Brittany
，
As I just mentioned in my last review of Steve-O’s newest memoir， I love memoirs and celebrity memoirs are an especially fun genre。 Celebrities are so fascinating purely because they are subjected to fame and I find their insight truly entertaining。 However， I was unfortunately disappointed again by this collection of essays by Constance Wu。 I’m not sure if the format just isn’t for me in general or if it was specifically the way Wu used this format。 Her essays were all over the place chronologi As I just mentioned in my last review of Steve-O’s newest memoir， I love memoirs and celebrity memoirs are an especially fun genre。 Celebrities are so fascinating purely because they are subjected to fame and I find their insight truly entertaining。 However， I was unfortunately disappointed again by this collection of essays by Constance Wu。 I’m not sure if the format just isn’t for me in general or if it was specifically the way Wu used this format。 Her essays were all over the place chronologically and it was hard to keep track of exactly where in her life some stories were taking place。 I would have preferred it to be in chronological order but maybe that’s just me。 I hate giving a bad review to a memoir because they are so personal it feels like I’m giving a bad review of the person or their life but as someone who reads a lot it’s really just about how the book made me feel， and this one just did not hit the mark for me。 Some essays were ok。 Her first essay was a relatable love story of an important relationship in her life。 I enjoyed her stories about how she got into acting as a child the most。 The best part of reading is being able to escape so as someone who has never performed I was most intrigued by her writing about community theater， auditions， and acting school。 But Wu really didn’t reveal too much of the life of an actor。 She didn’t even really speak about Crazy Rich Asians， which is really the only way I knew about her。 I knew she had tweeted something that got her into trouble but I have never watched the show Fresh Off the Boat which is what the drama was centered around。 Wu does speak about the complicated feelings she had while working on the show which definitely shed some light on the incident。 But I just looked up her actual tweets and Instagram comments and I have to say I’m really surprised by them。 I can understand where she was coming from based on what she shared in the book but that still doesn’t make it ok to publicly blast the show in such a negative way。 Wu knows she made a mistake and needed more space to explain herself which is clearly what she wanted to do in this book。 Some other essays just did not interest me at all。 There is one about her high school job or the various cars she has driven which is a typical celebrity plea that she is so down to earth and just like everyone else。 I constantly felt like she was trying to act like she was too cool for fame but it just came off wrong。 I didn’t like her as much as I hoped I would， and by her I mean her narrative， voice， and tone portrayed in this book， not her as an actual person。 My other favorite essay was the last one about her parents。 This is the stuff I genuinely like to read about people， their families and upbringings and complicated relationships。 I wish she would have talked more about her own experience as a mother but it may have been too new for her or she deliberately chose not to talk about it for her child’s sake。 Either way， I felt this last story was her strongest and wish the other essays would have been more like this one。 All in all， I wished I would have enjoyed this more than I did but as a serious celebrity memoir it was not very compelling。 I think Wu has an interesting and unique perspective but it wasn’t portrayed as much as I would have hoped。 Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an ARC of this book。 Read my full review here: https://www。between-bookends。com/2022。。。 。。。more
emma
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one of the most important skills a woman can have（thanks to the publisher for the copy）
Morgan Santos
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4⭐️I’m usually not a fan of celebrity memoirs， but this left me pleasantly surprised。 Constance Wu wrote some really honest essays， and several where she doesn’t paint herself in the best light—but that is what makes this feel so honest and genuine。 It was a little disjointed at points and not linear， but incredibly enjoyable nonetheless。Thank you NetGalley and Libro。fm for this eARC and ALC
Cookie
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️½ I liked the stories about her relationships and her experiences in the entertainment industry。 I appreciated her ability to show her flaws and that she was a human with very human emotional reactions to things that were happening to her。 The vulnerability that she showed by not only showing her not-so-perfect side and some traumatic things she went through was eye-opening。There were some stories that I wasn't that into so I have some mixed feelings on this one。A huge plus was hearing her ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ I liked the stories about her relationships and her experiences in the entertainment industry。 I appreciated her ability to show her flaws and that she was a human with very human emotional reactions to things that were happening to her。 The vulnerability that she showed by not only showing her not-so-perfect side and some traumatic things she went through was eye-opening。There were some stories that I wasn't that into so I have some mixed feelings on this one。A huge plus was hearing her story with her narration。 ⚠️: rape， infidelity， sexual harassment， suicidal thoughts， divorceI received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via libro。fm 。。。more
Kira
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A solid autobiography， jumped around a lot with time which was slightly confusing， but nonetheless a very interesting insight into Constance Wu's life and career so far。 A solid autobiography， jumped around a lot with time which was slightly confusing， but nonetheless a very interesting insight into Constance Wu's life and career so far。 。。。more
Linzi （ABookishEndeavor）
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4。25
Brynn | readyourworriesaway
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I have been a fan of Constance Wu for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat。 Constance grew up in the suburbs of Richmond， Virginia， and she was taught from a young age to suppress her emotions。 She was told that good girls don’t make a scene。 Constance found a creative outlet in community theater where she could express her emotions without being judged。 After moving to New York at eighteen， Constance lived the life of an aspiring actor for ten years before getting her big break I have been a fan of Constance Wu for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh Off the Boat。 Constance grew up in the suburbs of Richmond， Virginia， and she was taught from a young age to suppress her emotions。 She was told that good girls don’t make a scene。 Constance found a creative outlet in community theater where she could express her emotions without being judged。 After moving to New York at eighteen， Constance lived the life of an aspiring actor for ten years before getting her big break。 Constance’s memoir is a collection of essays about her childhood， relationships， being an Asian American woman in Hollywood， and more。 I enjoyed learning more about where she came from and how various events have influenced her life。 。。。more
Cari Zuckerman
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Making a Scene by Constance WuConstance Wu， star of Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians， brings an enjoyable memoir in essays in Making a Scene。 While the writing is mostly mediocre， Wu showcases a great sense of humor and is highly relatable throughout。 The child of immigrant parents from Taiwan， Wu had a suburban upbringing in Richmond， Virginia， getting involved with theater because of her own passion for it at an early age， which her parents supported。 She reached her fame through hard Making a Scene by Constance WuConstance Wu， star of Fresh Off the Boat and Crazy Rich Asians， brings an enjoyable memoir in essays in Making a Scene。 While the writing is mostly mediocre， Wu showcases a great sense of humor and is highly relatable throughout。 The child of immigrant parents from Taiwan， Wu had a suburban upbringing in Richmond， Virginia， getting involved with theater because of her own passion for it at an early age， which her parents supported。 She reached her fame through hard work and talent， working waitressing jobs， falling in and out of love， moving from apartment to apartment， and auditioning relentlessly。 Wu speaks candidly about rape and sexual harrassment and addresses her public Twitter breakdown and subsequent mental health issues with grace and self-awareness。 Wu apologizes for mistakes she's made that have hurt others and stands up for herself against those who have used their power to hurt her。 The book takes some time to hit its stride， with stronger essays like Making a Scene and Unfinished Mansions appearing in the second half of the book。 There are some essays that didn't really land with me and didn't quite connect to the life lesson it purported to have taught her。 But the stronger essays are really strong， and with those， I couldn't stop turning the pages。 More writing experience or increased editing could have tightened up the feel of this memoir， in which there wasn't always a through thread tying the essays together and there were moments of telling， not showing。 Overall， I think fans will definitely enjoy this memoir， and those who haven't heard of Wu will still find a lot to enjoy and relate to here。Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC！ 。。。more
Morelia （Strandedinbooks）
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Yeah， didn’t expect to cry like that*TW: sexual harassment， rape， suicide attempt
Lili Kim
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Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC。Notable lines:“There will always be people who don’t get it。 You don’t make art for them， so why make your choices a reaction to their ignorance？”“So time， and everything that happens in it， is probably where you find real love。 Forgiveness is somewhere in there too。”
Matthew
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Seriously？？？！ Aren’t you too young to write a memoir？ What an absolute display of complete hubris and arrogance。 Total farce。
David Johnson
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Her struggles are like a lot of our struggles with the exception of being Asian American。 She inspired many of us to fight for what we want in life。 Don't give up。 Her struggles are like a lot of our struggles with the exception of being Asian American。 She inspired many of us to fight for what we want in life。 Don't give up。 。。。more
TallieReads
，
A big thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for this giveaway win！I didn't really know anything about Constance Wu before reading this book， I just thought the cover was cool。 I vaguely knew who she was because of Hustlers but hadn't seen any of her other roles。 Going in， I wasn't just rooting for or against her。 I fell in love with the writing style within the first few essays。 Simplistic， funny， touching。 Each story felt like one of those conversations with a best friend you haven't spoken to A big thanks to the publisher and Goodreads for this giveaway win！I didn't really know anything about Constance Wu before reading this book， I just thought the cover was cool。 I vaguely knew who she was because of Hustlers but hadn't seen any of her other roles。 Going in， I wasn't just rooting for or against her。 I fell in love with the writing style within the first few essays。 Simplistic， funny， touching。 Each story felt like one of those conversations with a best friend you haven't spoken to in a while， some more than others。 I immediately felt a kinship with Wu because I was also a overdramatic theatre kid growing up。 It's so hard when the world constantly tells you that your emotions are too big， too over the top。 Even though I am an emotional person， I rarely cry during books。 Whew， the one about the teacher got me！ What a piece of shit。 Unfortunately， I'm pretty sure lots of people can relate to that one。 All it takes is one person doubting you when you're in a formative， insecure phase of life to seriously fuck up the views on which you base your adult sense of self。 That story also highlighted how， with time and a loooot of effort， you can see some positive spin in most memories。 And that's what this book is; just a woman， attempting to face the realities of her experiences。Was this a pretty random collection of essays？ Yes and no。 I could see how some would think that， but for me， it really worked。 Probably because my mind jumps around like this when I think about pivotal moments in my own life。 Wu embraced the cringe shit she has done in her life and that's a beautiful moment。 The self-awareness was refreshing and I am now rooting for her。 。。。more
Jamie Holloway
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Well written memoir。 I laughed， I cried， and I got confused with her。 I felt like Wu could be a friend。
Lisa of Troy
，
Calling all Crazy Rich Asian fans！Happy Pub Day！Making a Scene is a memoir by Constance Wu， a star in the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the movie Crazy Rich Asians。 In this novel， Constance gives readers a peek into her life experiences from her first job to her brushes with Hollywood sexual harassment to her Twitter moment。This book consists of essays。 Some of them are better than others。 Personally， I really loved the story about her rabbit。 However， I wished that Wu would have utilized a g Calling all Crazy Rich Asian fans！Happy Pub Day！Making a Scene is a memoir by Constance Wu， a star in the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the movie Crazy Rich Asians。 In this novel， Constance gives readers a peek into her life experiences from her first job to her brushes with Hollywood sexual harassment to her Twitter moment。This book consists of essays。 Some of them are better than others。 Personally， I really loved the story about her rabbit。 However， I wished that Wu would have utilized a ghost writer like Jennifer Robertson did in Bitcoin Widow。 Wu had the foundations of a great story， but the formatting just did not work。 The book was structured around these very long paragraphs with very little dialogue。 Making a Scene would have been better if the dialogue was punched up a bit。 The large paragraphs really got to me。 Recently， I have been reading about how to write Instagram captions。 One of the tips is to only have 2 or 3 lines together or else， the reader is overwhelmed and will skip over them。 I will fully admit that I felt overwhelmed with these paragraphs。 I would have really enjoyed the book much better if the paragraphs were broken down into smaller chunks。Please keep in mind that I read Making a Scene on an eReader。 I would be really curious to listen to the audiobook of this。 I especially love celebrity audiobooks！ If I was purchasing this for a friend who didn’t believe in audiobooks， I would purchase a printed copy and a special bookmark which has a transparent center。 This allows the reader to focus on one line at a time and helps keep the eye from wandering。 You bet that is how I got through A Suitable Boy。The other thing I think a ghost writer would have helped with is the saying， “It is better to show than to tell。” In Making a Scene， I felt that there was a lot of telling going on。 For example， in one essay， Wu describes her relationship with her neighbors。 She states that they attended all of her plays and chorus concerts。 It would be more compelling if she described looking around for someone， and then exhaling a breath she didn’t know she was holding when she saw her neighbors， knowing that someone was supporting her。 She also wrote an essay about her first job in a bakery。 Part of the job involved sitting at the bread table and making conversation with the team。 I wanted to know the details of the conversations， even a little dramatization would have helped me connect more to the story。Overall， Making a Scene is decent but I think that I would have enjoyed the audiobook more。 *Thanks， NetGalley， for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion。Connect With Me！Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta 。。。more
Mallory Melton
，
this reminded me a lot of emrata’s book of essays - some really good standouts， but mostly not great？？ like most celeb memoirs， it needs more focus and a through line。 very scattered， varied quality of writing but i appreciate her honesty and willingness to talk about the hard stuff and be critical of herself
Kate
，
MAKING A SCENE by Constance Wu is a memoir in essays where Wu gets incredibly candid about the people and experiences that helped shape who she is and how she got to where she is in life。 I really enjoyed this book。 Wu shares of childhood anecdotes， to community theater， young love， insecurities， sexual assault， breaking into and working within the entertainment industry as an Asian American， on stereotypes， and the progress and power of her identity in the spotight。 Wu is unbelievably honest ab MAKING A SCENE by Constance Wu is a memoir in essays where Wu gets incredibly candid about the people and experiences that helped shape who she is and how she got to where she is in life。 I really enjoyed this book。 Wu shares of childhood anecdotes， to community theater， young love， insecurities， sexual assault， breaking into and working within the entertainment industry as an Asian American， on stereotypes， and the progress and power of her identity in the spotight。 Wu is unbelievably honest about herself and the world around her。 Something I appreciated so much and it made this such a quick， touching read。 Obviously the title will grab you and Wu hits on how her "big personality" was often critiqued and encouraged to be suppressed。 From childhood women are often told and expected to be "seen not heard"， dont "make a scene" and I found Wu's stories moving and thought provoking as she looked back at her life with such observation and cander。 If only we could all pick apart memories from our past with such honesty and clarity。 To see our whole selves in thoes moments and the evolution of the experience as well。 The writing was smart， funny and accessible。 And other millennials will relate to her references like I did。 I think this would be an enjoyable read even if you weren't already a fan of Wu's。 She has written a poignant and relevant addition to the genre。 Out next month， thank you @simonschusterca for the #arc opinions are my own。 For more of my book content check out instagram。com/bookalong 。。。more
Basic B's Guide
，
I’ve never watched anything with Wu or even heard of the drama surrounding her。 It probably might have helped if I had as she gives a lot of background in regards to this。 The story seemed a little scattered in the beginning and end but the middle captured my full attention。While Wu is honest， it still felt a bit like an apology letter in a way。 Just a feeling I got from some sections。 Perhaps she herself is unsure。I really appreciate the insight Wu gives us into Asian American stereotypes in th I’ve never watched anything with Wu or even heard of the drama surrounding her。 It probably might have helped if I had as she gives a lot of background in regards to this。 The story seemed a little scattered in the beginning and end but the middle captured my full attention。While Wu is honest， it still felt a bit like an apology letter in a way。 Just a feeling I got from some sections。 Perhaps she herself is unsure。I really appreciate the insight Wu gives us into Asian American stereotypes in the entertainment industry。 She begs people to see beyond the stereotype or label。 There is so much more to each of us。“Stereotypes are not harmful for their mere existence。 They’re harmful for their reduction of a person or group。 Reducing them to their most obvious attributes and exploits that reduction。”Triggers for sexual assault and suicide。Wu narrates so I suggest listening to the audiobook。 Thank you Simon audio for the free audiobook。 。。。more
Bhavsi
，
Constance Wu’s Making a Scene is a series of stories and anecdotes told by the actor about her life in essay and script form。 Wu is remarkably candid in her retelling of her life events including falling in love numerous times， pursuing her career in acting， her childhood as the daughter of immigrants， her family and relationship with her parents and her experiences with people， both good and bad。 Perhaps the most intriguing essay in this book is the one where Wu speaks her truth regarding her t Constance Wu’s Making a Scene is a series of stories and anecdotes told by the actor about her life in essay and script form。 Wu is remarkably candid in her retelling of her life events including falling in love numerous times， pursuing her career in acting， her childhood as the daughter of immigrants， her family and relationship with her parents and her experiences with people， both good and bad。 Perhaps the most intriguing essay in this book is the one where Wu speaks her truth regarding her time on Fresh Off The Boat and the backlash she received for a handful of emotional tweets — something I didn’t know about previous to reading her book。 I truly enjoyed each and every story in Making a Scene。 My favourites being the one where she is accused of plagiarism for simply being a girl of colour because how can an Asian girl write so well？ Unfathomable！ I felt incredibly seen reading this as someone very close to me has been accused of this just for being incredibly intelligent too。 I also loved Wu’s honesty in writing about her parents。 This book felt like I was talking to a friend。 Wu bares her soul as if all of her readers are her friends， without judgment or fear。 Read this if you like non-fiction， essay style books and celebrity memoirs。 Read this if you simply like reading！ Making A Scene is out tomorrow！ Thank you Constance Wu， Simon & Schuster Canada & NetGalley for the ARC。 。。。more
Mindy Christianson
，
An honest， unflinching， in-depth look at Wu’s life。 The subjects and timeline vary， but each story had me hooked！
Dee
，
3。4 stars， This was an ARC edition。 A lot of editing to do。 I felt the flow of the book should have been in more linear fashion。 The stories （and each chapter is a story） did not flow and show a progression of her life。 I will be interested to see the final edition with photos as this did not contain。 The stories were interesing and I enjoyed what I read。
Mai
，
Ebook giveaway from NetGalley
Ruth Gibian
，
I really wanted to like Constance Wu's Making a Scene。 She's a brilliant actor， with memorable performances in the groundbreaking television series Fresh Off the Boat and the also groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians。 And perhaps if she had used a ghostwriter or had a rigorous editor， I could have loved this memoir-by-way-of-essays。 She has good stories to tell - about working in a bread bakery in high school， about her mother taking her and her sister through unfinished mansions， about spendin I really wanted to like Constance Wu's Making a Scene。 She's a brilliant actor， with memorable performances in the groundbreaking television series Fresh Off the Boat and the also groundbreaking film Crazy Rich Asians。 And perhaps if she had used a ghostwriter or had a rigorous editor， I could have loved this memoir-by-way-of-essays。 She has good stories to tell - about working in a bread bakery in high school， about her mother taking her and her sister through unfinished mansions， about spending a summer at a Buddhist monastery during her college years， about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry。 Unfortunately， she is a much better actor than writer， and her casual， talk-y style doesn't work。 Her insights are shallow， sometimes to an embarrassing degree， and while I remained interested in the stories until the end and so don't regret reading all the way through， I do regret how my formerly positive regard for her has been sullied。 She is unflinchingly personal， which can be a real asset in a memoir， but for that to work narratively， she would either have needed to have conducted herself well， have had sharp insights into the growth that comes from not conducting oneself well， or perhaps have made excellent comedy of having done neither of those。 。。。more
Robin
，
Reading this set of essays felt like rifling through a teenager’s diary。 It was vulnerable， indulgent， disjointed。 She discussed past boyfriends and heartache， her childhood in Richmond and love of those early days in community theater， and gave occasional glimpses of her home life。I think a reader hoping for Wu’s tales of Hollywood glitz and glam will be disappointed， but as a fan of memoirs in general， I really enjoyed it。 By the end， I felt like I had a better understanding of Constance and I Reading this set of essays felt like rifling through a teenager’s diary。 It was vulnerable， indulgent， disjointed。 She discussed past boyfriends and heartache， her childhood in Richmond and love of those early days in community theater， and gave occasional glimpses of her home life。I think a reader hoping for Wu’s tales of Hollywood glitz and glam will be disappointed， but as a fan of memoirs in general， I really enjoyed it。 By the end， I felt like I had a better understanding of Constance and I liked what she had to say。 Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for a copy of this e-ARC。 This is my honest review。 。。。more
Lindsay
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Unflinching beauty can only be found in vulnerability。 How did the book make me feel/think？Yippee—a memoir written by a celebrity。 This most certainly will be dreary。 Why Constanze？ Why？Fresh Off the Boat was delightful， essential， and ground-breaking。Crazy Rich Asians， thumbs way up！Constanze you’re a star！！！ Why？Flip the page。 You are a star， but you are ordinary。 I’m relating with you。 I understand what traumatic events and life pressure is like—the insecurity， the questioning of sanity， the Unflinching beauty can only be found in vulnerability。 How did the book make me feel/think？Yippee—a memoir written by a celebrity。 This most certainly will be dreary。 Why Constanze？ Why？Fresh Off the Boat was delightful， essential， and ground-breaking。Crazy Rich Asians， thumbs way up！Constanze you’re a star！！！ Why？Flip the page。 You are a star， but you are ordinary。 I’m relating with you。 I understand what traumatic events and life pressure is like—the insecurity， the questioning of sanity， the brushing aside of one’s ghosts to fit in。 To live in denial to protect the future。 I know what it is like to take devastating truths， sweep them aside， and then convince yourself the biggest deals in life are nothing to lose sleep over。Why do we do it？To try desperately to remain unscathed。It’s impossible。Constanze Wu’s; Making a Scene flips from ordinary to extraordinary because of the unflinching beauty Constanze shares， only found in vulnerability。The last chapter left my heart pounding。As a man， I could never comprehend the unbearable weight of being a rising Asian Star in a misogynistic world controlled mainly by Caucasian males （duh）。 The burden must be crushing。 After reading your story， I must thank you for sharing and letting the rest of us know that being a star doesn’t mean you are not human。WRITTEN: 27 August 2022 。。。more
Cindy
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3。5 stars。 As a depressed Asian-American woman public figure who is also often perceived as arrogant/unlikable/annoying， I have a lot of sympathy for Constance Wu when she revealed her suicide attempt after her Twitter backlash。 I’ve learned from past experience to make myself smaller， talk more maturely without emotion， and quietly go under the radar to avoid further scrutiny and misinterpretations of my character。 But Constance’s book provides honesty to her flaws， and I really appreciate what 3。5 stars。 As a depressed Asian-American woman public figure who is also often perceived as arrogant/unlikable/annoying， I have a lot of sympathy for Constance Wu when she revealed her suicide attempt after her Twitter backlash。 I’ve learned from past experience to make myself smaller， talk more maturely without emotion， and quietly go under the radar to avoid further scrutiny and misinterpretations of my character。 But Constance’s book provides honesty to her flaws， and I really appreciate what that can mean for Asian-American women。 I like that she’s emotional。 I like that she can be seen as cold or bitchy or dramatic or annoying。 I like that she isn’t perfect， because I am not perfect either。 I think this book would be enjoyed by a more niche audience; you probably have to already be rooting for Constance to get into it， and not be judgmental （a difficult feat for most of the internet， I’m sure）。 But the book gives a better idea of who Constance is as a person with several recollections from her childhood and early years starting out in acting。 She’s a classic theatre kid who takes the craft of acting super seriously。 The most “meaty” essay is the one where she talks about her experience with sexual harassment from one of the producers of Fresh Off the Boat， which consequently led to her more frigid perception on set and the emotional outburst on Twitter。 I liked that it gave context to why she was so emotional that day she tweeted， while also owning up to her insecurities towards her co-stars。The reason why I ended up being in the middle with this book is because the essays felt scattered as a whole， and sometimes random compared to the rest of the collection。 More writing experience could probably improve her stories to be sharper （it's a shame that teacher who accused her of plagiarism was so awful to her！） I think the book would’ve been stronger if she had included reflections about privilege and race， and more of her experiences being on Fresh Off the Boat， Crazy Rich Asians， etc。 The essays don’t feel balanced out with childhood anecdotes VS adulthood。 If she writes more in the future， I’d be open to keep reading！ 。。。more
Equal Opportunity Reader
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I’m not really into celebrity culture and I’m not sure I would have read this if Scribner Books hadn’t kindly sent me an ARC。 But I’m SO glad they did。What I thought about Constance Wu before reading this: Um…she was good in Crazy Rich Asians I guess。 She was the mom on Fresh Off the Boat， too， right？ She was funny in that。What I thought about Constance Wu after reading this: OMG she seems like such cool people。 I wish her all the success in the world even though she seems too sincere and honest I’m not really into celebrity culture and I’m not sure I would have read this if Scribner Books hadn’t kindly sent me an ARC。 But I’m SO glad they did。What I thought about Constance Wu before reading this: Um…she was good in Crazy Rich Asians I guess。 She was the mom on Fresh Off the Boat， too， right？ She was funny in that。What I thought about Constance Wu after reading this: OMG she seems like such cool people。 I wish her all the success in the world even though she seems too sincere and honest and self-aware for Hollywood。 I’m glad she’s made it， and I hope her star keeps rising because she has a gift， and a story， and also I’d just love to get coffee with this lady and swap big city dating horror stories with her for a while。Part of the love I have for this book comes from the fact that Wu is…just a person。 She’s a normal， likable person who puts a lot of effort into understanding her own emotions and explaining them honestly even when they’re not flattering。 She’s a person with a job that other people think is really cool， but still has to grapple with family， romance， work， money， and even herself。 There’s something beautifully sincere in how everything in her life seems to be on the same level， no matter how glamorous or banal。 She talks hating a girl in middle school right next to an explanation of troubles on the Fresh Off The Boat set。 right next to an ode to her pet bunny， right next to a remarkably technical analysis of her first community theatre audition。Wu isn’t always loveable in this book， but she’s eminently likable。 She reminds me of people I know， people who are entirely products and makers of America even though that’s not how we’re always perceived。 We’ve all been conditioned to expect certain stories from women， from the children of immigrants， from Asian people， from artists。 Wu tells none of those stories because they aren’t hers。 Instead， she tells her stories。 She talks about growing up Taiwanese-American in the South with laid-back， supportive parents。 She talks about navigating the minefields of New York romance and the hard work of auditions。 She talks about the harder work of staying whole and present when you start to make money from your passions but to be clear， Wu is not her career and this book is not about that。 There’s industry tea here， but not what you’d expect。 There’s talk of race and racism， but again， it’s not what you’d expect。 There’s talk of abuse and harassment and it’s also not what you’d expect but it IS really real。 So real， in fact， that it reminded me that someday， I’ll have to tell a story about a podcast， but it will be okay when I do。Five stars and big feelings to Making A Scene， out in October 2022。If you liked this review， follow me on Facebook， Instagram， TikTok or check out my blog。 Peace， fellow readers！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Making a Scene
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Making a Scene&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Making a Scene&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0