Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir (edition 2013)

My friend read the print version of this book and quite liked it, so I thought I'd give the audio book a try. Boy am I glad I did. The author, Eddie Huang, narrates his own audio book and I'm going to be totally honest and say that I can imagine listening to anyone else read it. What I liked about the audio book (ignoring the text itself) was all the little things that Huang's reading added. His laughter/giggling, some of his commentary (that's obviously not in the print version) and the sound of his voice. It's almost as if it was meant to be listened to, instead of read.

As for the content of the book -- it's fascinating. His life proves to be endlessly interesting, entertaining and at times rather heartbreaking. I liked the way Huang talks about his family (even when he's upset with/at them) as well as the way he loves food and conveys that love throughout his whole life (doing a great job of showing us how much he loved it without actually realizing it until later). Once I finished the book, I immediately wanted to go to NYC and eat at his restaurant. A great, fun listen. I'm glad I took the chance on this audio book. ( )

Love him or hate him - you can't deny that Eddie Huang has an original voice all his own. Most of the hip hop references went right over my head - but you get the gist of where he's going. His perspective on being Asian American is eye opening and in-your-face. ( )

Haunt narrated this himself. This almost never works for me, and I'm iffy about this one. His story is remarkable and although I've read many books about immigrants, his portrayal is more educational than most. ( )

A very funny, well written and engrossing book about a loving and dysfunctional Chinese family trying to find their way in America. Anyone who grew up in a third world home, and stepped out into first world America every morning will appreciate this book, be they Chinese, Latino, Irish or Pakistani. His childhood is filled with love, confusion, sadness, irony and a lot of humor. This book clearly and lovingly conveys the struggles and hard earned successes of growing up in the states. It does a wonderful job at staying light and humorous with funny stories about his family. I loved the Chinese dialogue, and non-Chinese readers will appreciate his translations. The scenes with his parents are hilarious. Eddie and his family are both fascinated and appalled by America, especially the food. His descriptions of Asian and American food are delightful and it is obvious that food is a friend and refuge. Chief Huang’s love of the smells, textures and symbolism of food have even influenced his writing. He is also very adept at diving deeply and letting you see feel the pain and loneliness that permeated almost every day of his life, but he does not stay submerged for too long and laughs are frequent.

The novel adroitly tells the story of the family’s immigration from China to Orlando Florida in the mid 1980’s. And while it may seem like a family’s story on the surface, it is really about a confused little boy who grows into a pissed off young man trying to survive in multiple worlds – his home, America, Asian friendships, non-Asian-friendships, relationships and more. I grew up in Bronx, New York, and in our black and tan neighborhoods we were safe, everyone was the same, not true for people like Eddie Huang. He was never safe. The book clearly relays the bigotry and prejudice Asians have endured in America, and it made me look at the immigrant experience through different eyes.

Huang’s voice is casual and rough but capable of passionate and tight prose reminiscent of Junot Diaz, the Dominican-American writer. From their casual regional English to their mutual understanding of the hilarious irony of real life. Unfortunately, Mr. Huang uses street slang a little too often. Sometimes the vernacular language is unfamiliar and confusing. I would be happily reading when suddenly I’d read a phrase and jerk to a suddenly stop. Luckily it did not happen often. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, and I will certainly be checking out this authors next book. ( )