We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu

BATB score: 9/10 🐲

Simu Liu, Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, $19M net worth, has always been and still is a disgrace and an embarrassment to his Asian parents. 100% relatable as Asian parents' expectations, disciples, and upbringings are so unique Asian

Best to: you sacrifice everything, work your ass off, be who they expect you to be, excel to the point of breakdown just to make your Asian parents proud of - which they would never be - I feel so emotional with this book

Best for: "I was the 'perfect baby,' the torchbearer of my family name, and - per the government policy at the time - the only child; my tiny shoulders would bear the weight of all their combined hopes, dreams, and ambitions." if this statement triggered you in any way, read this book

Best as: why so weak? how it started as a genuine fear [of your parents] then morphed into resentment and even a hatred in later years 🥹

Best quote: “For my family, mediocrity was simply never an option. Because most immigrants did not have cushy safety nets to catch them in times of crisis, the only thing keeping my parents from being completely destitute were their biweekly paychecks. To that end, absolutely nothing mattered more than their continued job security, which they could only ensure by being absolutely exceptional every single day.”

"The unknown is always scary, but not nearly as much as waking up one morning realizing you have wasted your precious life in pursuit of someone else's idea of success. I choose the unknown, every time."