BOOK REVIEW #23: HOW TO AMERICAN: AN IMMIGRANT'S GUIDE TO DISAPPOINTING YOUR PARENTS

How to American: An Immigrant’s Guide to Disappointing Your Parents is an outrageously funny read that you will devour in one sitting.

There you have it. A short and sweet review of Jimmy O. Yang’s very first memoir if you are in a rush.

But as a responsible entertainment site, we are simply not going to stop here. Jimmy O. Yang who became a household name with his regular role as Jian Yang in Silicon Valley takes readers from his life in Hong Kong to America where he migrated to at the age of 13.

It’s pages after pages of rib-tickling anecdotes as the stand-up comedian whose full name is Ou Yang Man Shing relates his first day in an American school, his constant struggles as an immigrant (a recurring theme in the book) and risking his life- DJ-ing in a strip club and delivering cash for the boss.

Yang never fails to crack the readers up by poking at his non-existent sex life. The fact that he couldn’t get laid while working in a strip club filled with naked women says it all. His always disapproving dad received plenty of coverage as well as Yang generously shared his dad’s life lessons and quotes (which showcases the typical traits of Chinese parents).

There’s hardly a boring or filler chapter in the 224 pages book as Yang shared his frustration at going to countless auditions in chapter 7. There’s even further elaboration of all his roles in Peter Berg’s Patriots Day, the Melissa McCarthy-Ben Falcone’s comedy, Life of the Party and his stint in Crazy Rich Asians, currently the hottest movie in cineplexes islandwide.

For a small Asian guy, Jimmy O. Yang looks all set to conquer Hollywood. Look out, Dr Ken Jeong.

Book Rating:

Review by Linus Tee

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