
How to American
An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
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Narrated by:
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Jimmy O. Yang
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Mike Judge
About this listen
Standup comic, actor and fan favorite from HBO's Silicon Valley and the film Crazy Rich Asians shares his memoir of growing up as a Chinese immigrant in California and making it in Hollywood.
"I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. My dad thought I was crazy. But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life. I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved. That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too."
Jimmy O. Yang is a standup comedian, film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley. In How to American, he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13, learned English by watching BET RapCity for three hours a day, and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career. He chronicles a near deportation episode during a college trip Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen 10 years later.
Featuring those and many other hilarious stories, while sharing some hard-earned lessons, How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue in cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame, fortune, and strippers.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2018 Jimmy O. Yang, Mike Judge (P)2018 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Hilarious! Reading this book is like sitting at lunch with your funniest friend whose stories make you laugh until milk comes shooting out your nose. Jimmy O. Yang will teach you how to American like a pro!" (Kevin Kwan, international best-selling author of Crazy Rich Asians)
"Hilarious, heartfelt, and inspiring, How to American captures the Asian-American experience. A must-read for everyone." (Ken Jeong, comedian; actor, The Hangover)
"It's difficult to imagine how excruciatingly uncomfortable it must be for many immigrants to our unforgiving and provocative culture. Absent the nuances of language and behavior we take for granted, Jimmy O. Yang hilariously chronicles his very personal experience from mute, frightened youth to cultural virtuoso and successful performer." (Dr. Drew Pinsky, media personality, author, board-certified physician)
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Story
In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical.
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Great book and perfect narration
- By MarilynArms on 12-15-16
By: Trevor Noah
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Yearbook
- By: Seth Rogen
- Narrated by: Seth Rogen, full cast
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Hi! I’m Seth! I was asked to describe my audiobook, Yearbook for websites and shit like that, so...here it goes!!! Yearbook is a collection of true stories that I desperately hope are just funny at worst, and life-changingly amazing at best. (I understand that it’s likely the former, which is a fancy “book” way of saying “the first one.”) I talk about my grandparents, doing stand-up comedy as a teenager, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish summer camp, and tell way more stories about doing drugs than my mother would like.
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Good until it turned political
- By atk0623 on 05-20-21
By: Seth Rogen
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Crying in H Mart
- A Memoir
- By: Michelle Zauner
- Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian-American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.
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Broken Korean
- By Tim on 04-21-21
By: Michelle Zauner
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The Worlds I See
- Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI
- By: Dr. Fei-Fei Li
- Narrated by: Cindy Kay
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Wired called Dr. Fei-Fei Li “one of a tiny group of scientists—a group perhaps small enough to fit around a kitchen table—who are responsible for AI’s recent remarkable advances.” Known to the world as the creator of ImageNet, a key catalyst of modern artificial intelligence, Dr. Li has spent more than two decades at the forefront of the field. But her career in science was improbable from the start. The Worlds I See is the moving memoir of a scientist coming of age as an immigrant in America who finds her calling at the forefront of the AI revolution.
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Excellent
- By J McC on 02-10-24
By: Dr. Fei-Fei Li
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Bossypants
- By: Tina Fey
- Narrated by: Tina Fey
- Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Before Liz Lemon, before Weekend Update, before Sarah Palin, Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: A recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV. She has seen both these dreams come true. At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: You're no one until someone calls you bossy.
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Tina Fey broke my new SUV
- By Warren on 04-07-11
By: Tina Fey
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Making It So
- A Memoir
- By: Patrick Stewart
- Narrated by: Patrick Stewart
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations with his indelible command of stage and screen. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life—from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim—proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.
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Incredible! So much more than a memoir
- By Jason on 10-04-23
By: Patrick Stewart
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Will
- By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
- Narrated by: Will Smith
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.
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Will sure loves Will
- By Kejeco on 11-18-21
By: Will Smith, and others
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Connie
- A Memoir
- By: Connie Chung
- Narrated by: Connie Chung
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Connie Chung is a pioneer. In 1969 at the age of 23, this once-shy daughter of Chinese parents took her first job at a local TV station in her hometown of Washington, D.C. and soon thereafter began working at CBS news as a correspondent. Profoundly influenced by her family’s cultural traditions, yet growing up completely Americanized in the United States, Chung describes her career as an Asian woman in a white male-centered world.
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Superb.
- By Sondra W. Walters on 02-02-25
By: Connie Chung
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Elon Musk
- By: Walter Isaacson
- Narrated by: Jeremy Bobb, Walter Isaacson
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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When Elon Musk was a kid in South Africa, he was regularly beaten by bullies. One day a group pushed him down some concrete steps and kicked him until his face was a swollen ball of flesh. He was in the hospital for a week. But the physical scars were minor compared to the emotional ones inflicted by his father, an engineer, rogue, and charismatic fantasist.
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megalomania on display
- By JP on 09-12-23
By: Walter Isaacson
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Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
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It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
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Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
- A Memoir
- By: Matthew Perry
- Narrated by: Matthew Perry
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The beloved star of Friends takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this candid, funny, and revelatory memoir that delivers a powerful message of hope and persistence. In an extraordinary story that only he could tell, Matthew Perry takes listeners onto the soundstage of the most successful sitcom of all time while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. Candid, self-aware, and told with his trademark humor, Perry vividly details his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.
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Mad at myself for getting sucked in
- By betty on 11-03-22
By: Matthew Perry
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Becoming
- By: Michelle Obama
- Narrated by: Michelle Obama
- Length: 19 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.
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Didn't know what I was getting into
- By Kenneth Woodward on 12-05-18
By: Michelle Obama
What listeners say about How to American
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- Thursday
- 05-24-18
Great perspective of the American Experience
Jimmy is great at creating a visual and audio performance of his written word. He is enthusiastic and his excitement for revealing his personal story makes for a roller-coaster reflective journey with some hilarious mis-adventures. He remains respectful of his family's culture while weaving humorous (and often self-deprecating) memories into a rich story. He truly helps any natural born American to appreciate those things that make the U.S. such a great land of opportunity when seen through fresh eyes.
Loved his voices in the audio book and find it fascinating what he has done through his various experiences.
I'm a fan of Silicon Valley and enjoyed his work in Patriot's Day and Life of the Party. Looking forward to seeing Crazy Rich Asians this summer.
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- Aaron Miaullis
- 05-20-18
An Amazing Insight into Comedy & Acting
I have never seen Jimmy act. Now I want to download his standup comedy and acting. Jimmy's audio presentation added a lot to the book and made me laugh a lot. Overall the autobiography was excellent!
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- Tuan Nguyen
- 06-06-18
Wow this is entertaining and insightful
Had no idea who Jimmy O Yang is. I bought this book hoping for something entertaining to fill my daily commune, and this exceeds my expectation way beyond the jokes. Not only it's funny, but insightful and honest in a life and opinions of an immigrant I can relate. High energy reading by the author I wish all the audio books have this standard of narrative. You made it Jimmy, again.
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- YenChenLin
- 11-15-18
Very Interesting, esp. for international students
As an international student, I totally understand the "interesting struggles" Jimmy shared in this book. If I had to say one thing bad about this book, it would be some mannered contents saying how he loves America.
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- DangerMouse
- 12-27-18
Good story
Pretty captivating story about Jimmy’s personal experiences and what it is to be an Asian immigrant in the US.
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- Inderjit
- 05-30-18
Great Narration, even better story.
Could not shut the audio, literally a page turner. Narrator brings the story to life.
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- Rudy Shiroma Dolatre
- 10-15-23
More than worth the money you paid!!
Jimmy speaks from the heart and is very, very entertaining! Some parts are sobering, many parts are so funny. Some parts can be so inspirational! Never boring at all!
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- Claus
- 06-04-18
Fantastic story
A great view into Jimmy O. Yang's life and his arrival to the US.
Great book!
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- markofu
- 02-04-19
Laugh out loud
Quick and entertaining read that I found pretty funny. There's also an educational element as Yang described the (to me, unique) challenges and difficulties of growing up in the US as an immigrant from Hong Kong.
Yang's relationship with his father seems very stereotypical of Asian parent-son relationships and his frequent descriptions of the various incidents or conversations were hilarious. The stories from the clubs that he worked in had some unbelievable characters, but it was always clear that Yang worked hard at his comedy, albeit not in school :)
I wasn't overly enamoured with some of the college and Tijuana stories, but overall, the book was funny and enjoyable that'll most likely have you laughing a lot.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-09-19
Perfectly Relatable
As the daughter of immigrants, UCSD grad and someone who is not using my degree - this book was fuel to my dreams. I can't wait to meet Jimmy! Thank you for sharing your stories!
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