Title: We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

Author: Simu Liu

Series: Standalone

Publish Date: May 07, 2022

Publisher: William Morrow

Format: eBook

Goodreads Summary:

Marvel’s newest recruit shares his own inspiring and unexpected origin story, from China to the bright lights of Hollywood. An immigrant who battles everything from parental expectations to cultural stereotypes, Simu Liu struggles to forge a path for himself, rising from the ashes of a failed accounting career (yes, you read that right) to become Shang-Chi. […]

We Were Dreamers is more than a celebrity memoir – it’s a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstance. [Summary cut for length.]

Review: I’m not normally one to read memoirs. They usually bore me, or I was “forced” into reading one for an assignment.

That is not the case here. 

I chose to pick up Simu Liu’s memoir for one reason. I wanted to get to know one of Marvel’s newest superheroes. I had never watched anything he was in previously (either it wasn’t available to me, or didn’t appeal to my tastes). I figured I might learn something from his book, or at least just have something that would get me through the workday. And I ended up pleasantly surprised.

Simu’s voice comes through with every line, raw and authentic. He talks about his life from before he was ever thought of, until that moment of standing in front of the camera on day one of Shang-Chi and hearing “action.” But beyond that is a profound look into the lives of Chinese immigrants, from day on until eventual and hard-fought success. I feel like I learned just as much about Simu as I did about the struggles of those who left their entire lives and cultures behind to chase the dream of success.

What I really enjoyed was that Simu didn’t shy away from his failures. He put a spin on them, sure, made them entertaining to read and listen to, but beneath the humor was stress and sadness. It worked well in my opinion. His failures were given the same weight as his successes. And I think that’s what makes me walk away from this book impressed.

For Marvel fans looking to know more about one of their actors, this one is an absolute must read.

Rating: 4/5

Goodreads Goal 9/52