How to American

So many comedian's books/ memoirs are just a repackaging of their stand-up routines. This is not true of Jimmy's. His insights into being an immigrant, living in Chinese-American culture, and finding his way in the entertainment business are current and most importantly funny.

I'm sure people will ask, "Why's this guy writing a book? He's not "really" famous and not old enough to know anything." Jimmy O. Yang is in the midst of it. His take is fresh, honest, and exactly what is needed in this genre filled with old actors trying to rekindle their youth and make a couple extra bucks.

Thank you to NetGalley, De Capo, and the author for providing a copy for review.

Love to read about celebs before they get where they are. This book seemed genuine. If your ready to just laugh out loud,this is it!

I've never heard of Jimmy O. Yang. Not a surprise, mostly because I don't watch television/movies. I'm always interested in immigrant stories, and Jimmys is good. He's funny and personable, and he's had one heck of a life. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for me to move to Hong Kong from America. Different culture and language? Forget about it! Jimmy cracked me up repeatedly throughout this book, and made me think. This is one book I'd recommend.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, it was funny and smart and ended before I was ready to be finished with it. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected to, as I'd never heard of Jimmy O. Yang, or seen anything he's been in prior to getting it.

Lucky for me, it turned out to be a good experience. After reading the foreword by Mike Judge, I learned that Jimmy was born in Hong Kong and moved to the US just before starting high school. He learned English by watching BET, the Black Entertainment Television station and seeing videos by all of the hottest rappers like Tupac, Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, etc.

After college, he started doing stand up comedy, but it wasn't enough to support him. He branched out into acting jobs doing commercials, whatever kind of acting jobs he could to get experience. Then he landed a role on HBO"s "Silicon Valley" playing Jian Yang, and started becoming recognized by some fans. He also later got the hero Dun Meng in Mark Wahlberg's movie about the Boston Bombing "Patriot's Day". Now his book is coming out well done, Jimmy It could be interesting to see what direction his goals and interests take him in next. We will just have to watch him and see.

An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, Jimmy O. Yang, and DaCapo Press for my honest review. Date of publication is March 13

I picked this up because I love the author's character on Silicon Valley and I was interested to know more about him. I also enjoy memoirs about the immigrant experience and thought this would be an interesting take. This definitely did not disappoint! It was a quick and enjoyable read that feels genuine. I laughed and cringed my way through it but loved it none the less. This was smart and funny and I would 100% recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Hilarious But Also Full Of Interesting Stories 

4.5 out of 5 stars

Jimmy O. Yang - better known as Jian Yang on the hit tv-show Silicon Valley came to America as a young child.  He spent his early childhood learning how to speak English watching BET.  And became a stand-up, not for not-so-normal reasons. How To American tells these stories and many others about the life of Jimmy O. Yang so far.  

I knew Jian Yang -- aka Jimmy from Silicon Valley.  When I saw that he wrote a book I was on board. I did not know he was a standup comedian (I love all things standup related). I also didn't know pretty much anything about him before reading this.  I'm really glad I took the 6 hours to read this one.  Jimmy is a hilarious and thoughtful writer - who would make me laugh one second talking about how his dad would insult him and in the next moment would make me think deeply about the people around me. 

That's the thing about this book and Jimmy in general - they are full of surprises.  Silicon Valley fans will be happy that there are about 3 chapters around the show along with one really funny one about his interaction with T.J. Miller - "I eat the fish". But How To American has so much more in it.  I loved the stories about his early "rap" career along with the stories related to being a strip club DJ. 

How To American was so much more than I expected and I'm thrilled.  Jimmy is a fascinating guy and I can't wait to see where his career takes him.

Funny, smart and WAY too short, How to American from Jimmy O. Yang is the story of his life. From his failed child stardom as a ping pong player to his immigration to America, he shares the joy and struggle of being a teenage immigrant.

I know of Jimmy because of his role as Jian Yang, but he's so much more than that. Stories of his family and college life were very familiar. Asian people, as a whole, aren't very affectionate. My own mother has only recently started telling us that she loves us or is proud of us. There's a need to be a success. Jimmy majors in economics because he knows it's what expected, but his drive to do something else is far greater.

This is a feel-good story. There's nothing TOO scandalous or gossipy. Jimmy is still a fan at heart. This is a story that is still going, and I'm excited to watch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I read this because I am a fan of Silicon Valley where the author plays the character of Jian Yang. This book captures his life before landing that part. This book is hilarious, check it out!

Thank you, NetGalley! I had no expectations about this book. I had never read of the author or his HBO show before picking it up. What I found was a memoir about assimilating to life in the U.S. that was funny, heartwarming, and a touch heart breaking.

Very funny and relatable as a first generation Chinese-American myself. I'd love to hear the audiobook.