We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story

By Simu Liu

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 

“Like your favourite superhero, within the first few pages, this book made me feel like I could do anything.” —Shifter Magazine  

“This real-life hero’s journey is a knockout.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) 

The star of Marvel’s first Asian superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, shares his own origin story of being a Chinese immigrant, battling 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 humour.

When Simu Liu’s parents move from China to America and then Canada, they leave him in the care of his grandparents. When he is four, they bring him to Canada. 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 bound 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, wins 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 twenty-two, 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 his comfort zone into the world of show business. 

Through a swath of rejections and comical mishaps, Simu’s determination to carve out a path for himself leads him to not only succeed as an actor but also 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 circumstances.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781443460606

Simu Liu

Simu Liu is an actor and writer best known for his work on Marvel Studios’ Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, in five seasons of the beloved family sitcom Kim’s Convenience, and for manifesting his dreams into existence with a Tweet. He wishes he had tweeted for something a bit better - like world peace, or for his parents to finally say “I love you”. He lives in Los Angeles, Toronto, and wherever the best tax credits for film production are. 

Reviews for We Were Dreamers

[darthdeverell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story, Simu Liu tells the story of his life and that of his family, from the Japanese invasion of China during World War II through his own work in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He explains how his parents worked to achieve success – first in their birth country of China and then in their adopted country of Canada – and how that drive transferred into a hostile environment for him growing up in Canada where he felt the weight of the expectations coupled with feelings of being an outsider in a settler colonial nation. Liu never shies away from his struggles, but balances them with the moments he managed to find joy or a sense of belonging, eventually leading to his acting career after finance turned out to be too soul-crushing. He concludes, “From Harbin to Beijing, Tempe to Kingston, we had triumphed and persevered over impossible odds time after time. Maybe it was time for us to take Hollywood too” (pg. 282). Liu’s story will interest those struggling with their own family’s expectations, in particular those from immigrant families, but will also be an insightful read for those who just want to know more about one of the newest Avengers.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

nonfiction, memoir - Chinese-born (raised by grandparents in China until age 4) Canadian switches careers from finance/accounting (which he hated) to acting.enjoyable, funny, easy to read memoir