Review 2025.03.006
Reviewers Note: It is the beginning of 2025 and one of the skills I desire to grow in is that of writing book reviews (having never done this before). I am doing this so I can better hone my writing (and reading) skills as I seek to think more critically about the books I am reading. I am sharing on Goodreads for my own personal development. I know this will be something I am always growing in so if you actually read these, please be patient with me as I develop this skill. I will also receive constructive criticism if you desire to help me become a better writer (and reader). I plan to use this disclaimer for the entire 2025 year.
We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
320 Pages
First, I’m a huge fan of Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings. Outside of the animated Spider-man movies (do animated or Sony movies count?), it is my top Marvel movie. My daughter disagrees but I believe it is still in her top 10 list. So when Amazon offered me this autobiography by Simu Liu on sale, I debated for a few seconds and bought it!
I read five or six books at a time and so did not start it immediately. But when I did, I was surprised by how quickly he pulled me into his story. It was a very easy read. It was engaging and kept me interested to the very end. I am not big into “famous” people meaning I do not follow people on social media or read about their lives online. Every now and again, my daughter will share about someone famous she follows but that’s about as far as I go. But a good biography (or autobiography) is always enjoyable.
Reading the chapters about his parents in China was so interesting. Except for a biography about Genghis Khan, I have very little knowledge of anything historical from China or anywhere in Asia, Africa, or the Middle East. I have just never really studied it so reading a small part of the more recent history of China was educational.
When I watch someone in a movie or TV show, I rarely think about the real person behind the character or what they may have gone through to get to where they are. I will likely never meet them and so it does not seem to matter. But I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his time in China, his transition to Canada, school, the battle with his parents, his short lived accounting career, and his hard work to build his acting career. It was a truly impressive story.
There is some language but it is not excessive and he is secular so I was not surprised. Still I highly recommend this book for any Marvel fan or someone who just loves a good biography.