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How to American - Jimmy O. Yang & Mike Judge

How to American

By Jimmy O. Yang & Mike Judge

  • Release Date: 2018-03-13
  • Genre: Humor
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 138 Ratings
$10.99 On itunes Buy on Amazon

Description

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.

Reviews

  • Simply Lovely!

    5
    By TOMPTY87
    Simply Lovely!

  • A must read for every Asian immigrant to the States.

    5
    By GManNRO
    Very easy to read, well written and good mix of serious & funny to keep you from not putting it down. Well done Jimmy!

  • How To Chinese is wonderful!

    5
    By Aubiegman
    This book is honestly incredible, it’s creative, humble, inspiring and hilarious. I truly enjoyed reading it.

  • Smart, honest, funny

    5
    By mjwilly
    Jimmy knows how to tell his story in an engaging and self depracating way. It’s cool to understand his struggles and his appreciation for what he’s become.

  • Want to know how an immigrant feels?

    5
    By Markneu
    You know, for people born in the US, it seems strange to think about immigrants. But at the same time-we are all immigrants. Jimmy wrote a book the detailed his very personal journey as he adapted to living in America-and more importantly, living for his dream. And that, is what How to American is all about. I don’t need to meet Jimmy to feel his passion as he continued his unbridled pursuit of achieving his dream. I don’t need to talk to him to know that he is not Jian Yang from Silicon Valley. But I do get to feel his happiness as he achieved his dream-and that dream is one of personal satisfaction in being able to do what one loves. Jimmy-I am so glad you have achieved your dream-if I get to meet you, shake hands with you, even get a selfie with you, it doesn’t change one very important fact-you are Jimmy O. Yang - And you’ve written a book that should make every American-every American who has a lineage of being or having been an immigrant-happy and sad and joyful-more importantly, understanding that being American is not just a dream-it is now your reality. A great book for those who’ve forgotten they’re only a generation or three away from Jimmy’s experience - and maybe, just maybe - help them to be more empathetic and accepting of those making their own journey as an immigrant to the USA.

Comments

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