Autobiography

Making a Scene

Making a Scene

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-10-23 06:53:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Constance Wu
  • ISBN：1982188545
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Summary

Named a Most Anticipated Book by Time and Associated Press！

A powerful and poignant new book by Crazy Rich Asians and Fresh off the Boat star Constance Wu about family， romance， sex， shame， trauma， and how she found her voice on the stage。

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。

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Reviews

Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir ，

These days， it seems that a rite of passage in Hollywood is to write a memoir sometime in the middle of your career when people are very much aware of you and interested in what you have to say。 Some of them are vapid， full of jokes and tell us nothing about the life the celebrity actually has led or currently leads。But every once in a while， someone （usually an actress） writes a book that feels as if you are sitting down with her and hearing her story， in her own words， with her own real emotio These days， it seems that a rite of passage in Hollywood is to write a memoir sometime in the middle of your career when people are very much aware of you and interested in what you have to say。 Some of them are vapid， full of jokes and tell us nothing about the life the celebrity actually has led or currently leads。But every once in a while， someone （usually an actress） writes a book that feels as if you are sitting down with her and hearing her story， in her own words， with her own real emotions。 Constance Wu’s MAKING A SCENE is that book。 And not just because she calls out the man responsible for assaulting her while filming the first two seasons of ABC's “Fresh Off the Boat。”It is clear from Wu’s story that she worked hard as a theater actor for much of her career， and starring on a sitcom like “Fresh Off the Boat” was an opportunity to start a whole new trajectory。 （If you haven’t seen the show or her performances in Crazy Rich Asians or Hustlers， be sure to check them out。） The producer who sexually harassed her is never named。 In fact， she writes the episodes about him in a script format， giving clarity to the situation in a way that really drives home both how oppressive and ugly the behavior was and how she tried hard to play games with him to protect herself。 We see her struggle， but she is not begging us for sympathy。 She is telling her truth， the real truth。MAKING A SCENE is a beautiful memoir as well。 The recollections of her growing up in Virginia， her relationship with her family and her decision to become an actress are written in a conversational yet steady and engaging tone。 The chapter about her mom is a literary highlight， written with such honesty and care （even the uncomfortable spots） that I dare you not to tear up。In this day and age， when “stars” are showing their true colors （some quite uncomplimentary）， it is refreshing to read a story where we can genuinely champion the celebrity at the heart of the book。 Wu puts herself out there， discussing the cultural milestones of her work with as much aplomb and sincerity as her foibles in love and her search for her true self。 I can’t recall reading a memoir by anyone other than a literary writer that felt as friendly， feminist and complex。 Wu's quiet， lyrical voice is a joy to experience。Reviewed by Jana Siciliano 。。。more

Nicole ，

3。75

Melissa Medley ，

It is brave that Constance gives us an open window to her journey。 Memoir was interesting， funny and relatable to our lives in several ways。

Michele ，

I first knew of Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat， and then later （one of my faves） Crazy Rich Asians。 Her new book of essays are open and vulnerable， reflecting on a myriad of moments throughout her childhood and adult life， her past relationships， jobs and experiences that gives the readers an insight into who she is - including addressing the circumstances around FOTB。Given that we’re about the same age， I related a lot to some of the stories especially having BIG FEELINGS from her childho I first knew of Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat， and then later （one of my faves） Crazy Rich Asians。 Her new book of essays are open and vulnerable， reflecting on a myriad of moments throughout her childhood and adult life， her past relationships， jobs and experiences that gives the readers an insight into who she is - including addressing the circumstances around FOTB。Given that we’re about the same age， I related a lot to some of the stories especially having BIG FEELINGS from her childhood 😅 In that respect， it was nostalgically familiar but also a bit hard to read because it forced me to confront my own cringey moments from my youth 🫣。 However， in a way， it also resulted in me to try and finally let go rather than continue to dwell on my own decades-old embarrassing moments or hanging on to long-gone former friendships that had run its course many years ago。 This book let me realize that I’m definitely not alone at having done or said some dumb or insensitive things in the past but that we can own it， learn from it， move on and， for everyone in general， to not be too quick to judge before knowing the context or character of someone。 My only thing to note is that the essays are not in chronological order so you’ll be reading about college years， to childhood， to dealing with harassment， to early years。 Not necessarily a bad thing but may just take a moment to reset the frame of reference as you get to each new chapter。 。。。more

Anna ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 After seeing and hearing the author on various platforms， I was interested in her story。 I actually purchased the audiobook， as I enjoy reading biographies that are self narrated。I found the first few chapters frankly whiny， and the author’s inclusion of her attempts at performing oral sex on her boyfriend in the bathroom of a restaurant where they both worked was crass and added nothing to her story。 I continued reading for a few more chapters but then gave up and returned it。 I was extremely d After seeing and hearing the author on various platforms， I was interested in her story。 I actually purchased the audiobook， as I enjoy reading biographies that are self narrated。I found the first few chapters frankly whiny， and the author’s inclusion of her attempts at performing oral sex on her boyfriend in the bathroom of a restaurant where they both worked was crass and added nothing to her story。 I continued reading for a few more chapters but then gave up and returned it。 I was extremely disappointed as I was interested in hearing about her experiences with an abusive producer， on Fresh Off the Boat。 Sadly， I never got that far。 。。。more

Sheetal D ，

3。5 stars。 I really respect Constance Wu and I really wanted to love this book， but I just couldn’t get into it until the last 1/3 - 1/2。

Molly Hanson ，

I always have a hard time with biographies。 Fiction is always better than real life and it’s hard to separate the ego required to confidently tell one’s story- which can be exasperating。 However， this story is valid and relevant and unique and honest in a very refreshing way。 If you like biographies， if you watched Fresh Off The Boat， if you’ve ever felt powerless and petty。。 read this。

Christine O'Boyle ，

I had high hopes for this one and it did not deliver。 It was very meh。

Connor O'Sullivan-Day ，

Deeply emotional and nostalgic， a bit erratic with the structure but I also admire that

Sofia The Great ，

I really enjoyed this book and Constance Wu's honesty。 I really enjoyed this book and Constance Wu's honesty。 。。。more

Brenda ，

I wanted to like it but it was hard to engage with this book。 There were a handful of interesting moments， but most of it felt like she was just trying to reach the required word count。

Elena ，

I have conflicting opinions on this memoir。 While the last chapters addressing her parents and the chapter on George， their breakup and how she got over him really resonated with me and almost changed the perception I had of her， the first few chapters made me wary of her actions and her narrative voice。 The insight into filming Fresh off the boat didn't disappoint （it was， after all， the whole reason why I picked up the book） but I still feel like there's no connection with her nor did I enjoy I have conflicting opinions on this memoir。 While the last chapters addressing her parents and the chapter on George， their breakup and how she got over him really resonated with me and almost changed the perception I had of her， the first few chapters made me wary of her actions and her narrative voice。 The insight into filming Fresh off the boat didn't disappoint （it was， after all， the whole reason why I picked up the book） but I still feel like there's no connection with her nor did I enjoy her voice。 Don't get me wrong - I love Jessica Huang and I am a fan of Constance Wu as an actress， but even in audio format this book feels off somehow。 。。。more

Liz ，

Easy enough read， short blurbs on different aspects of her life。 I didn't have an opinion on Constance Wu before reading this， but this book makes her seem like a normal person， which I appreciate。 She's open about her flaws， mistakes， and misteps。 Easy enough read， short blurbs on different aspects of her life。 I didn't have an opinion on Constance Wu before reading this， but this book makes her seem like a normal person， which I appreciate。 She's open about her flaws， mistakes， and misteps。 。。。more

Mercy Haokip ，

Raw。 I was in awe of how much she exposed her darkness。 I liked her writing and loved all of the stories。 I love that she used screenplay format in some of the most heartbreaking scenes。 The arrangement of the stories could have been better。 It was confusing since there was no connection between the immediate chapters so it felt all over the place and random。

Riya Butani ，

Mixed feelings about this book。 Parts of it felt really unnecessary and insensitive， and drawn out。 But there were two parts I really liked。 The chapter she speaks about being raped and not realizing because of her perpetrator’s “gentleness” — sadly I think many women （especially Asian women） will resonate with this。 She highlights the pervasive notion of having to silence and reduce yourself to say no， only to continually not be taken seriously， and overly apologize to the point of not even rea Mixed feelings about this book。 Parts of it felt really unnecessary and insensitive， and drawn out。 But there were two parts I really liked。 The chapter she speaks about being raped and not realizing because of her perpetrator’s “gentleness” — sadly I think many women （especially Asian women） will resonate with this。 She highlights the pervasive notion of having to silence and reduce yourself to say no， only to continually not be taken seriously， and overly apologize to the point of not even realizing when you’ve been violated。 Also really liked her candidness about having unregulated emotions a huge portion of her life， feeling burdensome as a result， and her journey to work through that + support and validate herself to not feel shame for having big emotions/love really deeply。 As someone who is similar in that regard， it was validating to hear that。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

Well done！ I enjoyed this memoir。

Sophika ，

4。5

Julia ，

I originally gave this book 3 stars but I saw a review that disgusted me so much I decided to up my rating。This collection of stories from Constance Wu’s past seems random at first。 However when you consider the title and the content of these « essays »， I think she tried to show the times how， each time， scenes （or choices） she or others made， scenes she wished she had made， shaped her into the woman she is today。 This book shows her as a human being with flaws and I believe the courage to own I originally gave this book 3 stars but I saw a review that disgusted me so much I decided to up my rating。This collection of stories from Constance Wu’s past seems random at first。 However when you consider the title and the content of these « essays »， I think she tried to show the times how， each time， scenes （or choices） she or others made， scenes she wished she had made， shaped her into the woman she is today。 This book shows her as a human being with flaws and I believe the courage to own up to them in an incredibly public way。 Obviously it felt like a complicated apology and it wouldn’t have been published if she were not who she is， but I feel it was necessary to， at the very least， remind us that famous people are human and prone to take impulsive and stupid decisions， which doesn’t automatically make them assholes forever。 。。。more

Johanna Markson ，

Making a Scene， Constance WuI can watch Crazy Rich Asians at any point in the movie， over and over。 It’s one of those movies I enjoy immensely each time I see it。 Constance Wu is a big part of the appeal of the movie， so I was interested to see what she had to say about herself。 Especially after the uproar over her disappointment at the continuation of her TV series once her career had taken a big leap forward。Raised in a lovely and peaceful suburb in Virginia， Constance loved theater and acting Making a Scene， Constance WuI can watch Crazy Rich Asians at any point in the movie， over and over。 It’s one of those movies I enjoy immensely each time I see it。 Constance Wu is a big part of the appeal of the movie， so I was interested to see what she had to say about herself。 Especially after the uproar over her disappointment at the continuation of her TV series once her career had taken a big leap forward。Raised in a lovely and peaceful suburb in Virginia， Constance loved theater and acting from a young age and she spent lots of time in community theater。 Acting let her be big， when much else didn’t。 The third of four girls， Constance was the artsy one。Two things I found really interesting about her are: that during high school she spent years working part time at a bakery and loved the work of making bread and other baked goods。 Also， during college she spent a part of a summer at a Buddhist retreat， half way around the world， learning to pray and meditate and be silent。 Not an easy task for her and kind of hard to believe。Most notable about her is her endless bad taste in men。 The relationships start out well but she never sees the red flags or learns from past mistakes。Constance talks about how hard it was to star on a successful TV show （Fresh Off The Boat） as a newbie TV actor， when you have no one offering guidance except a controlling， harassing male producer who she couldn’t complain about。 When Constance finally did complain， about anything， the Asian American community was ready immediately to jump down her throat， and they did。 She was supposed to be grateful for all her breaks。 She was supposed to act grateful for her success and carry on。 That was not Constance Wu， so the wrath of cancel culture found her eventually when she expressed disappointment。 Luckily， by then， she had made some big movies and the pandemic hit， so her dropping out of sight for a while to raise her first child wasn’t such a big deal。The book is a collection of essays that jump back and fourth in time and focus on the more important relationships in her life - men and family。 She talks about her experience at acting college （some hilarious）， her relationship with her younger sister， life with her parents， and some other big life changing experiences。Wu appears to be honest about her mistakes， but does gloss over some intimate information in several of her stories。 I think she was unprepared for stardom as a representative of the Asian American community， even though being a successful actress was her goal all along。Wu comes across as smart， emotional， hard working where her acting is concerned， flakey were men are concerned， and somewhat grounded now that she’s in her early 40’s and a mom。 Not the most powerful of personal stories， but I think being battered on social media led her to write about herself to explain who she is， where she comes from， what she’s made of， and where she sees herself now。 That’s a lot to take on， but she’s funny and self deprecating and an advocate for the #metoo movement， so the book mostly works。 I’m looking forward to seeing her coming body of work because I like her very much as an actress。 。。。more

Betty Bennett ，

The author is a gifted writer whose descriptions of events are so colorful they bring the reader into the scene。 I found her description of the bakery so real I could almost smell the bread baking。 Her love affairs with automobiles was engaging。 Some of the content would not be suitable for young or sensitive readers

Michelle ，

I related to her more than I thought I would。

Rachel ，

3。5⭐️

Jessica ，

I know Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat， and Crazy Rich Asians and I have always found her so fascinating in interviews。 Her memoir is written in short story format （which is not really my preferred reading genre） and I think raw and powerful is the best way to describe these stories。 Wu doesn't back away from some intense stories about sexual assault， depression， and public harassment as a female （non-white） celebrity。 As with most short story books， there is a lot of variation between the I know Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat， and Crazy Rich Asians and I have always found her so fascinating in interviews。 Her memoir is written in short story format （which is not really my preferred reading genre） and I think raw and powerful is the best way to describe these stories。 Wu doesn't back away from some intense stories about sexual assault， depression， and public harassment as a female （non-white） celebrity。 As with most short story books， there is a lot of variation between the stories both in tone and quality and I personally didn't feel like they all tied together （but again this is not my genre）。 。。。more

✨Lily ，

It’s interesting and I admire her for sharing these personal essays with the world。 Her roles are usually the opposite of what she is in real life and if you’ve seen her work and read these essays you’d see that she began as a young girl with big dreams。 Would I have preferred them to be in chronological order？ Yes I would’ve。 It’s really more of an editing problem rather than a content problem。 The essays were honest and relatable。 I actually like Constance Wu and perhaps because I was living u It’s interesting and I admire her for sharing these personal essays with the world。 Her roles are usually the opposite of what she is in real life and if you’ve seen her work and read these essays you’d see that she began as a young girl with big dreams。 Would I have preferred them to be in chronological order？ Yes I would’ve。 It’s really more of an editing problem rather than a content problem。 The essays were honest and relatable。 I actually like Constance Wu and perhaps because I was living under a rock， I wasn’t there when it she was “cancelled” for the supposedly ungrateful tweet。 I honestly do not know I would have felt had I known during the time but I’m glad I got to see her Red Table interview （which led me to this memoir）， but hearing her side of things made me understand and realize that age was hurt， bothered and lashing out at that time。 Which we all do frequently around people around us， people we know and love but unfortunately for her， she’s famous。 So a lot of people had a lot to say about that tweet。 She has apologized since and I’m glad to hear that’s she’s done apologizing and she’s moving forward and healing from all that。 。。。more

Che ，

If I could look at this book like an interview with her， I'd say， she's a great interview。 Engaging。 Wide variety of stories。 However， she's not the type I'd like to grab coffee with after the interview。 Somehow， it doesn't feel personable although I've learned so much about her private life。 Glad I read it。 But it's not one I'll return to later。 If I could look at this book like an interview with her， I'd say， she's a great interview。 Engaging。 Wide variety of stories。 However， she's not the type I'd like to grab coffee with after the interview。 Somehow， it doesn't feel personable although I've learned so much about her private life。 Glad I read it。 But it's not one I'll return to later。 。。。more

Sam Bailey ，

2。5

Manisha ，

Listened to the audiobook。

durga ☆ ，

honest and captivating- it got me out of a 1 1/2 month reading slump and it gets 3。5 stars from me

Sarah ，

6。5/10

Meonicorn （The Bookish Land） ，

3。5/5

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