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How to American
- An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
- Narrated by: Jimmy O. Yang, Mike Judge
- Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Stand-up comic, actor and fan favorite from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley shares his memoir of growing up as a Chinese immigrant in California and making it in Hollywood.
"I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. My dad thought I was crazy. But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life. I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved. That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too."
Jimmy O. Yang is a stand-up comedian, film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley. In How to American, he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13, learned English by watching BET's Rap City for three hours a day, and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career. He chronicles a near-deportation episode during a college trip to Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen 10 years later. Featuring those and many other hilarious stories while sharing some hard-earned lessons, How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue-in-cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame, fortune, and strippers.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What the critics say
"Hilarious! Reading this book is like sitting at lunch with your funniest friend whose stories make you laugh until milk comes shooting out your nose. Jimmy O. Yang will teach you how to American like a pro!" (Kevin Kwan, international best-selling author of Crazy Rich Asians)
What listeners say about How to American
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 2019-01-11
A Must Read!
Jimmy Yang is so inspiring and REAL! His story is one all need to hear! His ability to speak so candidly about his experiences helps me to appreciate my own upbringing even more and be more confident in who I am.
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- Jessica Emberwakes
- 2018-09-21
Awesome book!
This is super comical and truthful! I can see myself portrayed when he talked about the experience coming to the US. This is like a stand up show that last 6 awesome hours. Awesome and funny! #Audible1
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- Thai
- 2022-10-20
Amazing stories
Feel more relatable with Jimmy voicing the audible. Very funny end to end. Jimmy dad is a legendary.
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- liyoujia007
- 2018-04-11
best book about Chinese immigrant.
As a Chinese immigrant, I would say that this is the best story I ever read in my life.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jchang
- 2018-04-28
Funny, unexpected & well written
This is the first Audio book in a while that I couldn't stop listening to and finished in 1 day. I love the show Silicon Valley and Jing Yang but I hadn't prepared for this book to be so well written and entertaining. Interesting dude. Fascinating story. Not at all what I expected. Way to break the stereotype and live the ultimate American dream! Can't wait to see and hear more from this guy.
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- DK_Min
- 2023-01-26
Hilarious and Heartwarming
Great context on the journey of a 1st generation American!
Thanks for all the laughs!!
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- Elysabeth
- 2023-03-03
Do not listen while brushing your teeth
Seriously. I choked on my own spit hearing an unexpected joke. Jimmy O. Yang's story is surprising, entertaining and inspiring.
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