How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents

This is a powerful book, and I found it deeply moving as well as entertaining and funny. My husband emigrated to the USA, New York City, when he was only 12, so I was already intrigued by Jimmy's story. Then I saw Jimmy perform at Gotham Comedy Club, and he was amazing - incredibly funny on stage, and super-real in a way that grabbed my attention. So I bought the book. The first few chapters left me in tears, and prompted me to ask my hubby about his early years in grade school, and his experiences as the new kid, and I think, despite our being together for almost 17 years, that talk drew us together to a new degree - we got "real" in a way I guess we never had before somehow. I think I realized I'd always been scared to go there, to plumb the depths of how hard the immigrant experience can be, how isolating and scary and hurtful. I was wondering how interested I'd be in the later chapters, following Jimmy's career as a comedian and actor, but he comes through with honesty and some amazing stories. I was gripped, and moved, and left really admiring this guy, who against the odds has built a career in Hollywood and hopefully contributed to this country being a little less racist and a little more open to someone with a different story, a different background and a different point of view. Jimmy, your book is dope, brother. Keep on doing what you do, cause you just won one more fan (a gweilo!) Daw jeh sigh, pong yao!

I have loved every page of it. I have laughed, I have thought of my experience as immigrant in the US, although not Asian... and I might have contributed to some more sales as several people on the subway, seeing me laughing so hard, were curious to know what the title was! Absolutely read it, no matter if you're Asian, not Asian, immigrant, not immigrant... it's a book for everyone as it either talk about your story of might open up your eyes about all the foreigners around you in your country! And yep, be stubborn and keep up with your dreams, no matter what the others say :)

Like:Jimmy Yang is one of my favorite comedians, and I was really excited to see that he was coming out with this book. I love the way he takes Asian-American experiences and adds humor to it. This is the kind of book I wish I had growing up. I think I would have found my parents funnier and maybe appreciated some of their quirks. I'm very selective with which books I add to my shelf, and this has made the list. :)Dislike:If you've seen some of Jimmy's standup, then you'll find the book to be quite repetitive. Sometimes it felt like I was reading his scripts for his standup, but I'm a writer and didn't mind it very much.Would I buy it again? Yes, several copies to hand out to my siblings and other Asian friends.

What a remarkable story that really captures the American Dream! There aren't mainly Asian role models in the US that have shown us that there is an opportunity to do something different from what your parents told you. This book has given me time to reflect on my upbringing and also reflect on the nontraditional approach I haven taken on a career.This book will give you inspiration to see in life there are many paths you can take that will provide you many experiences, and if you are open to them you'll experience a whole other world that you might of never seen if you took the path of the least resistance.The book really shows you that people are not as simple as meets the eye, everyone has a story and their background and experiences shape who they are today.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some inspiration on how different paths are possible or if you are looking for an entertaining read!Jimmy O. Yang tells his experience growing up in America as an immigrant remarkably!

Jimmy OuYang’s story of how he and his family immigrated from Hong Kong and grew up in LA is the quintessential Chinese-American immigrant story, told through the lens of a exceptionally funny and uniquely Jimmy’s point of view. His autobiographical story shares all of the weird and strange things he’s gone through to be what he has become and he’s unapologetic about how those events unfolded, yet finds comedic elements to each of these well-written scenes from his life. It’s a true gritty story of a struggling stand-up comedian to accidental Hollywood actor story with a side of Chinese-American immigrant challenges thrown in for a unique twist. Enjoyable, easy to read and a good commentary on the Chinese-American immigrant experience.

Wow. I have been a fan of Jimmy O. Yang for a good while, and I must say this was a very well written autobiography of an immigrant who overcame adversity to achieve what he ultimately considers his American Dream. I'm a fan of underdog stories, and I honestly read this book from beginning to end in one day. It was difficult to stop reading without satisfying my curiosity about Mr. O. Yang's journey into success while also finding his experiences somewhat similar to my own. I hope, one day, Mr. O. Yang translates this into a feature film to which I would most definitely watch. A must read for anyone who has ever felt like an underdog who feels they can't win; an outsider trying to fit in; a seemingly hopeless visionary fighting to make their dreams a reality; a person who may feel foreign yet familiar in their own skin within different worlds. Thank you, Mr. O. Yang, for sharing your story; it is truly inspirational.

This book was awesome! Reading about Jimmy's experiences moving to America, and pursuing the American Dream was truly inspirational. He conveyed an important aspect of America that I've taken for granted, which is that, beyond just our system of government, freedom to do what you love is ingrained into our culture. I finished the book feeling, grateful and proud to be an American. The book was also really funny. There were too many scenes I broke out laughing to mention in this review, but my favorite was when he found out that you can get free soda at the soda machine, and his mind was blown. This was one of, if not my favorite autobiography I've ever read. 10/10

It's a very funny book I love it I would suggest it to anyone who loves comedy

A thoughtful memoir peppered with Jimmy's comedic style. I didn't want this book to end! You don't have to be Chinese or American to get behind Jimmy's story, at the base of it, it's a feel-good story about finding your way and finding your feet. You really end up rooting for this guy to succeed and he absolutely does!

The book is really funny and full of experiences of a Chinese immigrant.I totally recommend this book to who wants to have a great time of reading.

Man mag es kaum glauben, dass ein Buch eines Stand-Up-Comedian lustig ist? Ist es, sehr sogar.Ich als Deutsch-Asiate konnte mich an vielen Stellen mich genau in seine Situation hinein versetzen. Leicht zu lesen und sehr unterhaltsam. Kann ich nur jedem weiterempfehlen!

Jimmy O YangのスタンダップコメディをアマプラやYouTubeでよく見ていたので購入しました。おそらく海外在住のアジア系なら誰しもが経験したことがあるような「あるある」を面白おかしく書いており、私自身も「本当にそれな！」と思う事ばかりです。それを自虐と取るか、ただの「傾向」として笑い話にするかはその人の心持次第。たとえ自虐だとしてもそれを笑い話にして笑顔に昇華できるのであればそれで良いのではないでしょうか。アジア人全域において自己肯定感が低いのも、家族に「愛してる」と言ってもらえない人種であるのも我々にしか分からないですし、それを笑いにできるのもアジア人である私達だけですね。どうでもいい事ですが、本の中でJimmyがツッコんでいるSisqoの"Thong Song"（Tバックソング）を私もリアルタイムで聞いていて、くだらない内容を真剣に歌い挙句の果てに壮大なシンフォニーで仕上げるこの歌に衝撃を覚えた思い出があります。アメリカってやっぱり凄い…いろんな意味で、嫌いになれないと思いました。