Book Details
Date Read: October 3, 2022
Publication Date: May 2022
Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Format: Audio Book
Page Count: 304 pages
Listening Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Print Publisher: William Morrow
Audio Publisher: HarperAudio
We Were Dreamers Book Review
This year has given us celebrity memoir gold and We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu is no exception. I loved it so much!
I saw many positive reviews from friends here on bookstagram and I was excited to get into the audio over the weekend. I ended up finishing it in one day because I couldn’t put it down, it was the perfect blend of reflective and witty. I look for memoirs to be either entertaining or emotionally vulnerable, so to have one hit both notes is great.
In this memoir, Liu goes back to his childhood in China and explains a bit about his grandparents’ and parents’ experiences, along with the key aspects of Chinese culture that influenced their personal and parenting choices. He speaks to his experience immigrating to Canada at a young age and the abuse he faced once arriving.
He takes the reader into his teen and adult years, talking about both his career and his family dynamics. It’s such a well-told story that centers his reconciliation with the events of his life without losing accountability for the adults in his life that failed him as a child.
It’s also a story of healing and growth – it’s clear he has had therapy and I love to see it. If you enjoy a deep memoir with humor and self-awareness, this is a fantastic choice.
Content warnings: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs
