BooksCanada Reads Longlist

We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu

A memoir about how an immigrant kid from Toronto became a Marvel superhero.

A memoir about how an immigrant kid from Toronto became a Marvel superhero

CBC Books Posted: Feb 03, 2021 5:10 PM EST | Last Updated: July 13, 2023

Witty, honest, inspiring and relatable,We Were Dreamersweaves together the narratives of two generations in a Chineseimmigrant family who are inextricably tied to one another even as they are torn apart by deep cultural misunderstanding. Let's just say, it's really hard to be seen as cool amongst your peers when your parents assign you hours of extra homework every night. And it's similarly hard to admit to those parents, years later, not only that you've lost your respectable accounting job the one they invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in to prepare you for but also that you kinda want to be an actor.

Going beyond his own experiences, Simu tells the story of his parents' decision to leave him behind to be raised by his grandparents while they sought a future in North America, and of the shock and loss he experienced when the father he hardly even remembered showed up one day to take him away from the only home he had ever known. He offers a no-holds-barred look at the struggles he and his parents experienced as they tried to become a family while dealing with culture gaps, racism and wildly conflicting definitions of success. And he shares many entertaining stories of his own incredible path to success, from the acting gigs he landed through Craigslist ads to dressing up as Spider-Man at kids' birthday parties and serving as Pete Wentz's stunt double on a Fall Out Boy music video.

Ultimately, it is Simu's singular determination to make his dreams come true that not only leads him to succeed as an actor but also opens the door to reconciliation with his parents. For by the time he is thirtythe same age his parents were when they immigratedhe recognizes that he and his parents have much in common, most notably their courage to dream, and to dream big.

We Were Dreamersis a story about growing up as a third-culture kid, about losing and finding family, and about making your own luck.More than one family's story, it is part of a larger narrative about Asian Canadian culture a colourful and nuanced tale that is worthy of being told and deserving of a wide readership. (From HarperCollins Publishers)

We Were Dreamerswas ontheCanada Reads2023 longlist.

Simu Liu is an actor and writer best known for his work on Marvel'sShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsand the CBCsitcomKim's Convenience. He lives in Los Angeles and Toronto.We Were Dreamersis his first book.

Why Simu Liu wrote We Were Dreamers

"My parents said this very clearly to me;they were like, 'Nobody asked us to be here,'you know?

"With us, it's different because we grew up here. This is our home and we deserve to be here every bit as much as anybody else, you know? And so with all of the reverence in the world for everything that my parents went through, I demand more for myself. For us, in our generation, we do not deserve the prejudice. I mean, nor do our parents. But we do not deserve the prejudice and discrimination that's been levied upon us.

We need to carve out a path for us. We need to build out a home.And we need to show the world that we belong.- Simu Liu on sharing his story to stardom

"And, you know, we also are in a position where we can really speak up about it. And that might run counter to a lot of the way that our parents raised us and programmed us, right? The tall weeds are the ones that get cut. Keep your head down. Don't cause a ruckus. But I'm kind of feeling like, in our generation, we've got to cause a ruckus. Otherwise, we'll just be stuck in this state of not really belonging forever. We need to carve out a path for us. We need to build out a home.And we need to show the world that we belong."

More interviews with Simu Liu

Marvel's latest superhero, Canadian Simu Liu, on his fight for representation

5 years ago

16:48

Beyond 'normalizing Asianness,' actor seeks to 'turn it into something to be proud of.'

The Sunday Magazine32:00Simu Liu's real-life immigrant superhero origin story

Canadian actor Simu Liu rose to international fame after being cast in the Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. At 33-years-old, the former star of CBC's Kim's Convenience has penned a memoir called We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, which goes well beyond Hollywood headlines. His real-life story doesn't gloss over family strife and violence, the weight of diverse representation in Hollywood and his own missteps along the way. He opens up to Piya Chattopadhyay about all of that and the hope his story will inspire others to pursue their dreams in the face of uncertainty.

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