How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents by Jimmy O. Yang is a memoir from a stand up comic and actor about his journey into show business. Jimmy and his family emigrated from Hong Kong to Los Angeles when he was 13. He didn’t know nor understand American culture. He learned English by watching BET and trying to emulate others around him.
His parents wanted him to pursue a prestigious career such as a doctor, lawyer, or working in finance. Instead, Jimmy went against his parents’ wishes and decided to pursue a career in stand up comedy. He realized that it was better to disappoint his family than spend his entire life in regret for not choosing a career that he loved.
Jimmy narrates his journey from leaving a career path that his parents wanted to his dream job. The path wasn’t as straightforward and prosperous as he hoped. Even though he had a few standup gigs, he still wasn’t able to afford rent. Jimmy even took a job as a strip club DJ in hopes of making rent.
I am familiar with Jimmy O. Yang and saw a few episodes of the HBO series “Silicon Valley” in which he appeared. He was funny in the show and his humor shines through in his memoir, including the photos with funny captions. It was interesting to learn about his journey and family but there were a few things that I was surprised to learn, like him working as a strip club DJ.
While the book was a funny read, it was light on some details. He mentions that he had a brother and his mother went back to Hong Kong to pursue her own dreams but they rarely made an appearance meanwhile he did get repetitive with a few of stories. I was surprised that when he goes into detail about some of his life, he didn’t provide any insights or introspect. It was surprising that Jimmy expected to hit it big without having prior acting experience or training. I don’t have any experience in the field but it seems like a cutthroat business and not surprising when he wasn’t booking anything if he didn’t have the experience/training.
I felt that the ending was disappointing, it was basically how he started the book. I wish there was something more to explain about his future plans or goals. I am a little confused by the title, was this supposed to be a self-help book or a guide for immigrant kids or immigrant parents? Or perhaps, was it a tale to prove that sometimes going against your parents’ wishes, one can still end up successful? If you are a fan of Jimmy, then you might enjoy the book as it’s filled with his adventures and it’s a quick read.
