How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
- Downloads：8824
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-31 06:57:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jimmy O. Yang
- ISBN：0306903512
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Standup comic， actor and fan favorite from HBO's Silicon Valley and the film Crazy Rich Asians shares his memoir of growing up as a Chinese immigrant in California and making it in Hollywood。
"I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy。 My dad thought I was crazy。 But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life。 I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved。 That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too。"
Jimmy O。 Yang is a standup comedian， film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley。 In How to American， he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13， learned English by watching BET RapCity for three hours a day， and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career。 He chronicles a near deportation episode during a college trip Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen ten years later。 Featuring those and many other hilarious stories， while sharing some hard-earned lessons， How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue in cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame， fortune， and strippers。
"I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy。 My dad thought I was crazy。 But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life。 I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved。 That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too。"
Jimmy O。 Yang is a standup comedian， film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley。 In How to American， he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13， learned English by watching BET RapCity for three hours a day， and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career。 He chronicles a near deportation episode during a college trip Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen ten years later。 Featuring those and many other hilarious stories， while sharing some hard-earned lessons， How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue in cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame， fortune， and strippers。
Reviews
Nora
，
Yang’s recounting of his experience immigrating to the US from Hong Kong and his struggles in his acting and comedy career was engaging and entertaining。 He has a unique perspective， and this was pretty funny。
The Story Girl
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This was another memoir that was so hilarious and relatable！ All I can say is the world needs more stories by immigrants and their children！reading books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors for AAPI month！book 1: Tokyo Ever Afterbook 2: The Girl from the Wellbook 3: Hot as Hadesbook 4: Night Sky with Exit Woundsbook 5: Dear Girlsbook 6: The Sufferingbook 7: Time is a Motherbook 8: Portrait of a Thiefbook 9: How to Americanbook 10: We Were Dreamers This was another memoir that was so hilarious and relatable！ All I can say is the world needs more stories by immigrants and their children！reading books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors for AAPI month！book 1: Tokyo Ever Afterbook 2: The Girl from the Wellbook 3: Hot as Hadesbook 4: Night Sky with Exit Woundsbook 5: Dear Girlsbook 6: The Sufferingbook 7: Time is a Motherbook 8: Portrait of a Thiefbook 9: How to Americanbook 10: We Were Dreamers 。。。more
Alice
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Relatably funny
db67671321
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some occasional jokes made me laugh hard。。。 didn't expect to relate so much with his stories。 some occasional jokes made me laugh hard。。。 didn't expect to relate so much with his stories。 。。。more
Lisa （Remarkablylisa）
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So freaking funny。
Cristiann
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Honestly， I can’t remember the last time I read a book that made me laugh and smile so much。 Highly recommend it to everyone， especially if you’re an American who comes from a family of immigrants， but I think anyone can read it。 Jimmy’s book is one that most people can relate to — no matter what their race， ethnicity or gender is。 :）
Vladimir
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Not sure when did comedian's memoirs become a thing， or why I got into them， but they are a fun choice for audiobooks， if you don't mind more or less successfully containing laughter in public。 This one was really fun。 Not sure when did comedian's memoirs become a thing， or why I got into them， but they are a fun choice for audiobooks， if you don't mind more or less successfully containing laughter in public。 This one was really fun。 。。。more
Pat Gallagher
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WonderfulI could not put this book down。 So genuine and humorous。 A gotta read and perfect bedtime read。 A big thank you
Lee Allen Johnson
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Another "cute" autobiography。 I literally laughed out loud by myself a few times。 I enjoyed the silly stories in this book， and I learned a few things regarding the struggles of being a very young Asian immigrant to the United States of America。 But， Mr。 Yang is also very repetitive with some of his examples， to the point of annoyance。 For example， he said he "learned english from watching BET" so many times， in every chapter， that the words unfortunately began losing the power behind them he wa Another "cute" autobiography。 I literally laughed out loud by myself a few times。 I enjoyed the silly stories in this book， and I learned a few things regarding the struggles of being a very young Asian immigrant to the United States of America。 But， Mr。 Yang is also very repetitive with some of his examples， to the point of annoyance。 For example， he said he "learned english from watching BET" so many times， in every chapter， that the words unfortunately began losing the power behind them he was intending， to a point that the statement itself began to be cringeworthy。 But still an impressive achievement considering that he wrote this book in english and he only learned english at the age of 13， from literally zero english， and from literally "watching BET" lol。 Only two stars， but I still recommend the book。 。。。more
Jo
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“Having you as my son is like winning the lottery… Not the Mega Millions jackpot， but like a small twenty-dollar prize。”Some things never change。”
Jessica Willoughby
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I really enjoyed the audiobook and listened to the whole thing in just a few days。 Jimmy provided comedy and insight into life as a Chinese immigrant
Alexis
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In all honesty， I had no idea who this person was prior to reading。 Very enjoyable read， some parts a little slow but overall it was great。
Nicole
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This is a humorous look at Jimmy's life as an immigrant from Hong Kong to LA。 Even though his lived experiences to date have been very different from mine， he tells his story in a very relatable way。 This is a humorous look at Jimmy's life as an immigrant from Hong Kong to LA。 Even though his lived experiences to date have been very different from mine， he tells his story in a very relatable way。 。。。more
Aditya Lahiri
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I enjoyed and binged a book after so long！ Maybe it was affection to HBO'S Silicon Valley， or being a new immigrant to the US， or being at UCSD（Jimmy's alma mater 🤣）。 Whatever the reason may have been， I enjoyed this book immensely。 It was funny， wise and poetic， all at the same time。 The immigrant struggles， his brutal honesty and the journey were all so pure and I am glad I read this one。 I enjoyed and binged a book after so long！ Maybe it was affection to HBO'S Silicon Valley， or being a new immigrant to the US， or being at UCSD（Jimmy's alma mater 🤣）。 Whatever the reason may have been， I enjoyed this book immensely。 It was funny， wise and poetic， all at the same time。 The immigrant struggles， his brutal honesty and the journey were all so pure and I am glad I read this one。 。。。more
Emily France
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Fun and easy read。 I enjoyed it and laughed a lot！
Alicia
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I don't know Yang and have never seen anything that he's been in but a comedian's biography read by the comedian is a good brain break sometimes， only if it's done well。 This one is done well because it doesn't matter that I don't know who he is because his experiences are perfect to share from how he views his Asian-ness to growing up in Los Angeles， being a DJ at a strip club， landing acting gigs， and how his mom chose working in Shanghai to staying in the United States to keep the family toge I don't know Yang and have never seen anything that he's been in but a comedian's biography read by the comedian is a good brain break sometimes， only if it's done well。 This one is done well because it doesn't matter that I don't know who he is because his experiences are perfect to share from how he views his Asian-ness to growing up in Los Angeles， being a DJ at a strip club， landing acting gigs， and how his mom chose working in Shanghai to staying in the United States to keep the family together。 The entertainment factor is in how he delivers his story， picks the vignettes he wants to share， and doesn't do things that annoy me like name dropping incessantly or adding in his views on life， he knows no one is going to him for life advice， they just want a good story and he weaves a fun one。 。。。more
Aparna Kamath
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Audiobook。
Meredith Hecker
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I’ve never been more confused on how to rate a book！！ I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend this- Jimmy writes like he speaks， so listening to it felt like I was listening to him telling a story at his stand up comedy shows！ That being said， I heard from my brother who read the book the old fashioned way that his style of writing didn’t always translate well when you can’t hear his inflection and delivery。 For example- hearing the f bomb 6 times in a few sentences just sounds like I I’ve never been more confused on how to rate a book！！ I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend this- Jimmy writes like he speaks， so listening to it felt like I was listening to him telling a story at his stand up comedy shows！ That being said， I heard from my brother who read the book the old fashioned way that his style of writing didn’t always translate well when you can’t hear his inflection and delivery。 For example- hearing the f bomb 6 times in a few sentences just sounds like I’m talking to a friend while hanging out。 Reading it on a page 6 times in a few sentences feels gratuitous and forced， even though I say it myself constantly。 That being said， I really enjoyed it。 Jimmy’s insight into his experience as an Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong was super interesting and the right mix of funny and sincere。 I noticed some reviews mentioned being annoyed with his mentions of his views on women/trying to sleep with them （and drug usage）。 I didn’t love that， but it didn’t bother me。 It just felt like him giving his experience。 But I wonder if I would have read the hard copy if that would have changed how I perceived this…So honestly- listening to it I probably enjoyed it enough to give it 3。5-4 stars。 If I had read the hard copy， I’m betting I would have been less charmed and given it 2-2。5。 So that’s why I’m giving it a 3。 But honestly I loved hearing from him so much that I started watching Silicon Valley…which I always swore I would never watch cause it looked boring to me。 So…。listen to this on audiobook！ Whether or not you end up loving the book， you’ll love hearing from Jimmy for sure。 。。。more
mookchance
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I love Jimmy as a stand-up comedian so it was easily for me to pick up this book without hesitate。 As Asian I find the story very relatable。 love every parts of the story， the way he telling it。 *chef kiss* More than that， this book is actually about Following your dream， accept your failure and never give up。 I would recommend this to every one who wanna start reading non fiction。 Bonus point on Audible book。 Jimmy narrate himself is Hilarious！
Matt Lieberman
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This is fundamentally a "strike while the iron is hot" entertainer memoir （a genre I've always had a soft spot for） but I still found it to be not only breezy and fun （which is to be expected） but also occasionally insightful and pretty funny。 Much of the book focuses on Yang's experiences moving to California from Hong Kong at age 13 and trying to assimilate into American culture （through watching a lot of BET Rap City， apparently） and his experiences slogging through a ton of auditions to fina This is fundamentally a "strike while the iron is hot" entertainer memoir （a genre I've always had a soft spot for） but I still found it to be not only breezy and fun （which is to be expected） but also occasionally insightful and pretty funny。 Much of the book focuses on Yang's experiences moving to California from Hong Kong at age 13 and trying to assimilate into American culture （through watching a lot of BET Rap City， apparently） and his experiences slogging through a ton of auditions to finally break into TV and movies。 He's really easy to root for and candid throughout and it was refreshingly witty and intelligent， though also with a lot of the silly and raunchy humor you'd expect based on his standup。 There is some overlap in content with his Amazon standup special （which I was worried about coming into this） but also tons of new stories and further amusing detail on "older" stories。 Basically if you have any interest in Silicon Valley and/or find Jimmy O Yang funny you'll probably find this rather enjoyable。 。。。more
Michele Feliu
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How To American Jimmy brings such honesty to his words。 I love how well he fought to achieve his dreams。 Great book。 Love the book from start to finish。 😀
Mike Deng
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enjoyed every moment of the audiobook。talked about how jimmy chose a path of improv to standup to acting over a cushy office job。
Briana
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DNF （page ~125/240）Thought I may enjoy a light read， and have watched some of his standup before。 Apparently， even being Asian American didn’t make me a target audience。Written in a very male gaze perspective and couldn’t stand the way he talked about women。 Finally ended up quitting at the same place as another reviewer。 “I didn’t think it would be possible to be friend-zoned by a stripper。”
Taryn Ohashi
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It was fun listening to this as an audiobook， narrated of course by Jimmy Yang himself。 He's funny and I'm rooting for him。 He shared glimpses into his deep thoughts about being Asian in America and I selfishly wish he elaborated a bit more， though I know that's not really his lane。 It was fun listening to this as an audiobook， narrated of course by Jimmy Yang himself。 He's funny and I'm rooting for him。 He shared glimpses into his deep thoughts about being Asian in America and I selfishly wish he elaborated a bit more， though I know that's not really his lane。 。。。more
Lauren Hegedus
，
I had a really hard time piecing together my thoughts on this memoir。 I’m glad that I listened to it as an audiobook！ Jimmy O。 Yang has a great narrative skill and the listening experience was nice。My biggest issue was the way women were referred to throughout the memoir， which is a bummer。
Jessica
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4。5 How to American is a hilarious journey following actor Jimmy O。 Yang from his childhood in China to his success as a sitcom and film actor。 I watched Love Hard last year and found Jimmy incredibly charming and funny。 After starting Space Force this month this book has bumped up my TBR。 Jimmy has had a very interesting life and this book is hilarious and completely NSFW。 I laughed hysterically on the regular。 I really enjoyed how "zero fucks" this book was。 My very favorite part was the end o 4。5 How to American is a hilarious journey following actor Jimmy O。 Yang from his childhood in China to his success as a sitcom and film actor。 I watched Love Hard last year and found Jimmy incredibly charming and funny。 After starting Space Force this month this book has bumped up my TBR。 Jimmy has had a very interesting life and this book is hilarious and completely NSFW。 I laughed hysterically on the regular。 I really enjoyed how "zero fucks" this book was。 My very favorite part was the end of the epilogue。 I made my husband listen to that too。 In stitches。Read this if you don't mind swearing and want a laugh， are interested in acting or stand-up， or are a fan （which seems like a duh but who knows）There is one super cringe anecdote that almost made me stop reading （view spoiler）[expectations in dating。 Don't ever say "what did she expect" when talking about sex。 He assumed she wanted to sleep with him because she asked to come to his house and was pissed when she told him she didn't。 The girl was a super-douche for going on a date just for fan gossip but that doesn't matter。 Don't assume， simple as that。 I will say other than this one section all his stories seem very respectful of women so it seems like just a missed joke （hide spoiler）] but it's short but does make me wonder if there were any female beta readers。 。。。more
Amanda （bookedwithamanda）
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I think Jimmy O。 Yang is great so I really enjoyed this one。 I just had a great time with this book and the stories he shared were so entertaining especially with his narration。 The only thing I missed were seeing the photos because I listened to the audiobook。
Anene
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Love how the book was written in Jimmy's voice。 It felt like he was literally reading the book to me。 Amazing book with an even more amazing sense of humour！！ Love how the book was written in Jimmy's voice。 It felt like he was literally reading the book to me。 Amazing book with an even more amazing sense of humour！！ 。。。more
Amber
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Very cool look into what it's like to be an immigrant， comedian， and all American dude。 Very cool look into what it's like to be an immigrant， comedian， and all American dude。 。。。more
Rohil
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