Jimmy O. Yang's 'How to American' chronicles unique immigrant story of famed comedian
Published: 08 Aug. 2024, 09:29
-
- LEE JIAN
- lee.jian@joongang.co.kr
How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents
Author: Jimmy O. Yang
Publisher: Hachette Books
Standup comic, actor and fan favorite from HBO's "Silicon Valley" (2014-19) and the film "Crazy Rich Asians" (2018) 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" (2018), 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 U.S. 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.
DB BOOKS
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)