We Were Dreamers

An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

By: Simu Liu

Narrated by: Simu Liu

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

The star of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, tells his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, his battles with cultural stereotypes and his own identity, becoming a TV star, and landing the role of a lifetime.

In this honest, inspiring and relatable memoir, newly-minted superhero Simu Liu chronicles his family's journey from China to the bright lights of Hollywood with razor-sharp wit and humor.

Simu's parents left him in the care of his grandparents, then brought him to Canada when he was four. Life as a Canuck, however, is not all that it was cracked up to be; Simu's new guardians lack the gentle touch of his grandparents, resulting in harsh words and hurt feelings. His parents, on the other hand, find their new son emotionally distant and difficult to relate to - although they are related by blood, they are separated by culture, language, and values.

As Simu grows up, he plays the part of the pious child flawlessly - he gets straight A's, crushes national math competitions and makes his parents proud. But as time passes, he grows increasingly disillusioned with the path that has been laid out for him. Less than a year out of college, at the tender age of 22, his life hits rock bottom when he is laid off from his first job as an accountant. Left to his own devices, and with nothing left to lose, Simu embarks on a journey that will take him far outside of his comfort zone into the world of show business.

Through a swath of rejection and comical mishaps, Simu's determination to carve out a path for himself leads him to not only succeed as an actor, but also to open the door to reconciling with his parents.

We Were Dreamers is more than a celebrity memoir - it's a story about growing up between cultures, finding your family, and becoming the master of your own extraordinary circumstance.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Simu Liu (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Simu Liu is a natural narrator, conversational and appealing as he shares his engaging story of pursuing acting and finding eventual stardom as the headliner of a Marvel superhero movie.... Liu's driven yet playful personality shines through as he tackles the highs and lows of chasing his dream." (AudioFile)

Incredibly relatable

It’s like someone was narrating my story to me. This is a book about the AAPI exp and brings so much light and hope to those who read it. Thank you for bringing this story to us. Also can we have Simu read all the books?

A wonderful memoir from an amazingly talented guy!

wow! I've been looking forward to reading this book! I first came across Simu from Kim's Convenience and he was such a likeable character! Then Shang-chi came out and I was floored by his performance. Once in a while, he'll come through my social media feeds and YouTube recommends and his interviews are always full of light and his positivity simply radiates.

His story, struggles, failures and success were too real. By family dynamics and parental expectations echoed too loud as if he was telling my story. Act 1 was my favorite... Giving us an in-depth look into his familial history from his grandparents, parents, Chinese history and regime, his parents making the difficult decision to leave him behind in Herbing China to further their education in hope of a better future... their time in Beijing, his parents moving to the the U.S, then Toronto Canada... and Simu growing up on Canada and navigating through the complexities of being invisible and being othered.
I would really love to see an interview of his parents... maybe they can sit down with Oprah and do one of her Super Soul Sunday sessions. They were professionals in China and had to start completely over in Canada... his parents sacrificed a lot and humbled themselves to survive and look at them now... Look at their sons...

Now this... is a successful immigrant story.

I cried, and smile and called out "no way! me too dude!". And now my heart is full of appreciation and gratitude.

Amazing story. I recommend the audiobook. Simu tells his own story and he's so raw and emotional at times... grab some tissues.

Blown Away

In many ways this was relatable and it made me cry. I would highly recommend.

Good hear inside Depth of Life

Great thing about this read is that he admits when things will be slow but worth it.. You can tell he's a bit damaged with the upbringing of his family and shows the emotion during the performance. As he admits he is a bit young for the memoir but had a different take and story that must be told thru the eyes of the Asian community.

I cried listening Act One (as a Chinese)

I was born and raised in the northwest China, and am five years younger than Simu. Our parents/grandparents lived in contemporary times so I can relate so well to the stories in Act One. I cried so hard at some moments when Simu also got a bit emotional. I could feel his joy and his pain as he narrated his life story.

Before this, I thought <How to American> was the best audiobook version of memoir… Now I’m so happy to find a book that tops Ouyang’s memoir.

Seriously the best memoir and performance

I laughed, I cried, and I cried some more. I absolutely love Simu and his family’s story. The history and the experiences he tells should be heard by all. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

Brilliant!

In a world where a young man wants to follow his dreams and simultaneously make his parents proud, one man steps up proving himself in fantastic fashion. Simu Liu. Anyone needing inspiration to carry the torch should listen.

Dreamers

Loved the memoir on family and personal narration - we share a similar story and you’re a source of continuous inspiration, on my goal to abs…

Emotional, powerful, and relatable!

All the scenes where Simu describes is parents were spot on. It’s exactly how I grew up! It’s nice to hear success stories like these, it gives people faith and hope!

So so good

Listening to this on audiobook was so good and I loved that Simu narrated it. It felt so much more personal and I loved hearing all the emotions. Also hearing his amazing singing skills was a highlight for me. I appreciate him and his parents willingness to share their story and allow us to take that peek into their life. I 100% recommend that you read this book!!