Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir

I realize, looking back on it, that I was being naive, but I really did not expect quite so much child abuse alongside the food and the comedy. There is ... really quite a lot of child abuse in the first half, so much that I almost stopped reading, so much that no amount of unique narrative voice and humor could make it even marginally funny.

This is still worth reading — it’s a great example of the very important difference between the Asian-American Experience and *one* Asian-American person’s experience, and it’s also one of those amazing life stories you don’t quite believe even if you watch it all unfold in real time. I love that Huang is out there, aggressively being himself, aggressively speaking his truths.

But holy show more gods is that a lot of child abuse for an intended-to-be-humorous memoir. show less

The ratio of rage to food talk was a surprise - I expected more about "real Taiwanese food" and less about beating people unconscious - yet the change-up was delightful. One hundred percent entertained from first page to last.

Not very often am I hooked from the first line, but Eddie Huang did just that. This was definitely the most exciting, enticing, and hilarious memoir I've read this year. Eddie recounts his childhood as an American born Chinese and all the cultural differences between him and "normal" Americans. In this country it can be tough to be different; Eddie recounts the experiences bringing "stinky" Chinese food to school, getting in fights, relating to hip hop, and having to deal with stereotypes. Times were tough in high school and college, but he was an exceptional student so even though he got into a lot of trouble, teachers saw potential in him and helped him as much as they could. Although he finished law school he still wasn't happy; not show more until he opened up his own restaurant in New York did Eddie feel he made it and felt like a true American, living the dream.

Listening to the audiobook was a real treat, as it was narrated by the author himself. Eddie has a hilarious and yet serious narration of his memoir, plus has the ability to start yelling in Chinese when he's describing his mother (hilarious). This is a great book for everyone. There is stuff for foodies, hip hop aficionados, American minorities, sports fans, memoir junkies and more. Truly a great read! show less

This is the first time in a long time that I've read a book in which I literally did not understand some of the sentences, a lot of the slang, and a great deal of the culture -- which makes perfect sense, when I think about it, and only adds to the book's raw style. There were a lot of painful, awful things in this book, and while I didn't really enjoy reading them, I did feel like I learned a lot from hearing Huang's perspective.

I hope the statute of limitations has run out for his various criminal activities, and that his brash successes continue.

I generally like both memoirs and food writing, so even though I had never heard of Eddie Huang I figured I would like this book well enough. I could not have been more wrong.

Fresh Off the Boat is Huang’s raucous memoir of growing up in hip-hop culture in Florida. Before he opened his restaurant, he engaged in a variety of activities, ranging from law school to drug dealing. Though Huang and I are nearly the same age, I found his slang completely incomprehensible, and the memoir mostly impenetrable. Many of his most lucid and interesting comments, particularly on topics like family and race, were relegated to footnotes.

I think people who already know of Huang and know what to expect might enjoy this book. I was not the right audience.

Eddie Huang's early-career memory is a highly engaging and personable telling of his story, and makes it much more easy to empathize with his thinking than, say, his web videos or magazine columns. It's an interesting history of the contemporary immigrant experience, and Huang's discussions of cultural identity and critique of the "model minority" system make a productive addition to the discussions of race in America that have characterized the period after 9/11, the first Obama term, and Django Unchained.

However, Huang's assumptions about other identities and macho posturing are highly grating. He is also outright wrong about a few elements of Chinese food history, and refuses entirely to admit that members of other ethnicities might show more appreciate on the proper terms the cuisines and cultures of others. Nevertheless, it does all end up entertaining; if only Huang could be a little bit more tolerant of the ideas and experiences of others. show less

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 show more 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. show less