Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir Paperback – November 12, 2013

This book is truly excellent. I read it soon after Kitchen Confidential, and I think this is definitely a better book in the same vein. Although the material is in some ways very similar - a troubled young person finds meaning in food, I think this book delivers a more important message, more effectively.Eddie Huang certainly writes with a lot of wit and voice, but there is a very obvious sense in which the writing in this book is "unpolished" - there is a lot of slang, a lot of foul language, numerous hip-hop references that will sail over the heads of people who aren't fairly interested in that culture. For readers who are used to and prefer more traditional writing mechanics, those things will make the book more challenging and perhaps, depending on your taste, less palatable.But I think that, like food, the flavor is the point. I think Huang effectively uses that unpolished style in order to very effectively make the point that things are not always what they seem. His life is clearly full of what many people would consider contradictions: a felon who attended law school, and sold drugs while doing so. A restaurateur with more regard for simple food than complex food. An Asian guy who very conspicuously does not meet the "model minority" standard. And, a highly intelligent and well educated writer, who nonetheless punctuates his writing with urban culture references. Those sorts of contradictions, and what the reader's perception of them says about the reader, is one of the things that makes this book so effective and fascinating.By a similar token, the other thing that this book does very effectively is explore the nature of what it means and what it costs to fit in. Huang for many reasons including those outlined above, is in many ways a guy stuck between various cultural groups: others associate him with various cultures based on how they perceive him, but ultimately he is at home in all of them and none of them at the same time. This book is often at its best when it explores how that sense of culture has affected him and how he has navigated the fractures between the cultural spaces that he inhabits.Ultimately, I think this book has the potential to help broaden the horizons of many readers, especially, paradoxically, those who might be less inclined to read it. So if you are on the fence, read the book. And if you aren't on the fence, read it anyway. It is a brisk, engaging read, that has a lot to show readers about the world we live in.

I have to admit that I am a bit ambivalent about this memoir, even though it's strengths far outnumber its' weaknesses. It's greatest strength is that Eddie Huang is out to tell his story in the language that is most comfortable for him which is based in the language of the hip-hop culture he grew up in. Even though he tells difficult stories about his parents and his home situation, he manages to do it in ways that indicate that he's had enough time as an adult to understand that his parents did what they knew to do. He also openly shares his problems with assimilation growing up, in college and even in young adulthood and law school. If more people could read this memoir with an open mind and heart, we might have a much better understanding as to why the "why can't we all just get along" approach ending racism in the U.S. isn't really an option. Yet Huang is clear that when people can be open and authentic with one another and stop stealing one another's culture or trying to make it better, there can be real change and friendships and understanding can be created.In spite of this, I found myself getting terribly bored at times and wishing he would hurry up and move onto the next part of the story. I am not sure why this happened because Huang doesn't really go off on too many tangents and his memoir does move along pretty well, but that's the way I felt. I also thought it interesting that he talks about a professor from college who really helped him understand women's concerns and, as a result, he had much more respect for women and the challenges they face. This is not really reflected well in his writing as he mostly calls women "little shawty's" unless they are friends of his and then he will name them. He also continues to fall into the sexist trap of calling himself or male friends a "p*#^y" when he is belittling them or thinking that someone is belittling him.

Fresh Off the boat is a fascinating and funny tail of real-life Asian Americans struggling to adapt to the American Culture. Through its high and lows many people from all different background can relate to the struggles of immigrants facing daily problems in America. There are many ethnicities included in the series and it shows how we may be different, but in America we can all get along together. Each family member in the Huang family feels genuine almost like if they were your own family. Each chapter of the book has its own overarching theme or lesson they must share with the audience. Nothing in this book feels like filler and Eddie Huang is the most entertaining of the family because of his unique background. My view point coming as a Chinese American is that I can relate to many of these issues today and how it has shaped me as a person compared to Eddie. I have lived through the “Tiger” parent teaching style and a lot of other stereotypes from the show. I respect my grandparents and to this day when I feel that if they say something wrong my mother disagrees and obeys them anyway. If you are also into women empowerment Jessica Huang is the character for you; Jessica is sassy and confident, and it shows everywhere she goes with the family. The Tv adaption is what you watch after you finish the book to visualize what it’s like to be in the Huang Family. The TV show is very inclusive because LGBTQ Is shown in two characters who are gay and lesbian. This show does not try to discriminate in any way and does the opposite by fighting against modern day stereotypes of Asians. If you’re are fan of hip-hop Eddie Huang is the man for you because he references hip hop artist and songs an insane amount of time in this book making it that much more entertaining. Overall fresh off the boat is a great read and the whole family covers a different type of personality that everyone can relate to. I recommend this book to my friends and family and to anybody who wants a lot of humor and entertainment in their daily read.