Fresh Off the Boat

A Memoir

De: Eddie Huang

Narrado por: Eddie Huang

NOW AN ORIGINAL SERIES ON ABC • “Just may be the best new comedy of [the year] . . . based on restaurateur Eddie Huang’s memoir of the same name . . . [a] classic fresh-out-of-water comedy.”—People

“Bawdy and frequently hilarious . . . a surprisingly sophisticated memoir about race and assimilation in America . . . as much James Baldwin and Jay-Z as Amy Tan . . . rowdy [and] vital . . . It’s a book about fitting in by not fitting in at all.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS

Assimilating ain’t easy. Eddie Huang was raised by a wild family of FOB (“fresh off the boat”) immigrants—his father a cocksure restaurateur with a dark past back in Taiwan, his mother a fierce protector and constant threat. Young Eddie tried his hand at everything mainstream America threw his way, from white Jesus to macaroni and cheese, but finally found his home as leader of a rainbow coalition of lost boys up to no good: skate punks, dealers, hip-hop junkies, and sneaker freaks. This is the story of a Chinese-American kid in a could-be-anywhere cul-de-sac blazing his way through America’s deviant subcultures, trying to find himself, ten thousand miles from his legacy and anchored only by his conflicted love for his family and his passion for food. Funny, moving, and stylistically inventive, Fresh Off the Boat is more than a radical reimagining of the immigrant memoir—it’s the exhilarating story of every American outsider who finds his destiny in the margins.

Praise for Fresh Off the Boat

“Brash and funny . . . outrageous, courageous, moving, ironic and true.”—New York Times Book Review

“Mercilessly funny and provocative, Fresh Off the Boat is also a serious piece of work. Eddie Huang is hunting nothing less than Big Game here. He does everything with style.”—Anthony Bourdain

“Uproariously funny . . . emotionally honest.”—Chicago Tribune

“Huang is a fearless raconteur. [His] writing is at once hilarious and provocative; his incisive wit pulls through like a perfect plate of dan dan noodles.”—Interview

“Although writing a memoir is an audacious act for a thirty-year-old, it is not nearly as audacious as some of the things Huang did and survived even earlier. . . . Whatever he ends up doing, you can be sure it won’t look or sound like anything that’s come before. A single, kinetic passage from Fresh Off the Boat . . . is all you need to get that straight.”—Bookforum

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Brash and funny . . . outrageous, courageous, moving, ironic and true.”—New York Times Book Review

“Mercilessly funny and provocative, Fresh Off the Boat is also a serious piece of work. Eddie Huang is hunting nothing less than Big Game here. He does everything with style.”—Anthony Bourdain

“Bawdy and frequently hilarious . . . a surprisingly sophisticated memoir about race and assimilation in America . . . as much James Baldwin and Jay-Z as Amy Tan . . . rowdy [and] vital . . . It’s a book about fitting in by not fitting in at all.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

“Uproariously funny . . . emotionally honest.”—Chicago Tribune

“Huang is a fearless raconteur. [His] writing is at once hilarious and provocative; his incisive wit pulls through like a perfect plate of dan dan noodles.”—Interview

“Although writing a memoir is an audacious act for a thirty-year-old, it is not nearly as audacious as some of the things Huang did and survived even earlier. . . . Whatever he ends up doing, you can be sure it won’t look or sound like anything that’s come before. A single, kinetic passage from Fresh Off the Boat . . . is all you need to get that straight.”—Bookforum

Amazing

What I thought was going to be a simple "how i did it" memoir was so much more. Eddie's insights into race and culture are invaluable, and uniquely broadcast from his one-of-a-kind cadence and tone. Not only is the text itself a pleasure, but Eddie's reading of it is lively, entertaining, honest, and refreshing. He often goes "off-script" during the audiobook, elaborating in ways he doesn't in the printed version. He also genuinely re-experiences the moments he recalls, laughing along at funny stories, clearly affected by more troubling ones. As a result, this audiobook feels so much more like a conversation than any other I have listened to yet. Well done, Mr. Huang!

This book had me on the edge of tears the first couple chapters!

Loved the realness of Eddie's book can definitely relate the childhood stories with getting disciplined by an immigrant father who happened to be an alcoholic... Great inspirational book for real tho also motivates me to take a trip to NY from Cali just to try the Bous; Love the beef noodle soup recipe too oh and I learned the proper use of the semi colon aswell. Great Job

Dope.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - it's hilarious! Being an Asian American myself, I can totally relate to his upbringing and some of the feelings of being an outsider.

What other book might you compare Fresh Off the Boat to and why?

I just finished Kevin Hart's Life Lessons and you can expect the same ridiculousness in this book.

Everything I wanted and more.

I never write on these stupid things and I don't think I ever will again. Dude spoke to my soul with Killa Cam and Biggie lyrics. He pulled at my heart strings as he spit about food cooked the right way with Pac in is words. I had a crush before but I'm slick in love now lol. I'm a black chick and somehow he understands MY struggle in this world. This man could write a book about his toenail and I'll read it! I'm cooking the beef noodle soup recipe TONIGHT! Stand up Man....you ILL.

SO GOOD!

If you grew up in the 90s, you will absolutely love this. It's like you're listening to a friend's life story. When the book finished, I was kind of bummed we couldn't "hang out" anymore.

Pure awesomeness...

Loved everything about it. I wish I had known sooner. Inspiring :) here are some more words to make it over 20. Peace :p

Great storytelling

Great story of finding identity and going through a journey of rough childhood. Lots of funny anecdotes as well.

Excellent!

Loved Eddie Huang's story and narration. It really brings to life what it is to be someone from a different culture living in this country. I don't come from an Asian background but so much of his experience with FOB parents is something that will resonate with anyone who comes from another country. Family and food.

Real and unfiltered

This is an amazing story that many young Asian males can relate to, growing up as an Asian American with immigrant parents you mainly go down 2 main routes, it’s either the model minority or you rebel. The people who are giving this book poor reviews are either Asian people who are insecure with their own identity or Americans who think that America can do no wrong and that he is lucky to be in America. News flash you can be grateful for what you have but still criticize that same thing, he is giving the reader a dose of reality. For many young Asian guys there are many parallels between Huang’s life and their own. The core of this story is the American dream, Huang gave up the stability that many are too afraid to stray from to live his dream, training with many great highly respected chefs, one of those being Anthony Bourdain. The other criticism I have been seeing is that it’s nothing like the show, for those that are complaining about that you have to realize that this is real life and the show is a pretend imaginary world that takes inspiration from this book. This came first and if your introduction to Eddie Huang was the show with the same name then ABC showed you a rose tinted version of this story. Many are saying that this is nothing like the show, yet the first episode took many things from this book and incorporated into the show, but tv executives just made it more family friendly. The readers that are saying that there is no audience for this kind of story are the reason why these kinds of stories exist, many want to deny the existence of people like Huang because it doesn’t fit in their definition of asian people. Just because some are ok with being the model minority doesn’t mean everyone else has to be, don’t let your insecurities define with other peoples capabilities are.

Raw, genuine, informed, and relatable.

Eddie Huang did an amazing job weaving food, hip hop, and his personal stories into relatable lessons.