Fresh Off the Boat

by Eddie Huang

NOW AN ORIGINAL SERIES ON ABC • “Just may be the best new comedy of [the year] . . . based on restaurateur Eddie Huang’s memoir of the same name . . . [a] classic fresh-out-of-water comedy.”—People
 
“Bawdy and frequently hilarious . . . a surprisingly sophisticated memoir about race and assimilation in America . . . as much James Baldwin and Jay-Z as Amy Tan . . . rowdy [and] vital . . . It’s a book about fitting in by not fitting in at all.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times
 
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS
 
Assimilating ain’t easy. Eddie Huang was raised by a wild family of FOB (“fresh off the boat”) immigrants—his father a cocksure restaurateur with a dark past back in Taiwan, his mother a fierce protector and constant threat. Young Eddie tried his hand at everything mainstream America threw his way, from white Jesus to macaroni and cheese, but finally found his home as leader of a rainbow coalition of lost boys up to no good: skate punks, dealers, hip-hop junkies, and sneaker freaks. This is the story of a Chinese-American kid in a could-be-anywhere cul-de-sac blazing his way through America’s deviant subcultures, trying to find himself, ten thousand miles from his legacy and anchored only by his conflicted love for his family and his passion for food. Funny, moving, and stylistically inventive, Fresh Off the Boat is more than a radical reimagining of the immigrant memoir—it’s the exhilarating story of every American outsider who finds his destiny in the margins.
 
Praise for Fresh Off the Boat
 
“Brash and funny . . . outrageous, courageous, moving, ironic and true.”—New York Times Book Review
 
“Mercilessly funny and provocative, Fresh Off the Boat is also a serious piece of work. Eddie Huang is hunting nothing less than Big Game here. He does everything with style.”—Anthony Bourdain
 
“Uproariously funny . . . emotionally honest.”—Chicago Tribune
 
“Huang is a fearless raconteur. [His] writing is at once hilarious and provocative; his incisive wit pulls through like a perfect plate of dan dan noodles.”—Interview
 
“Although writing a memoir is an audacious act for a thirty-year-old, it is not nearly as audacious as some of the things Huang did and survived even earlier. . . . Whatever he ends up doing, you can be sure it won’t look or sound like anything that’s come before. A single, kinetic passage from Fresh Off the Boat . . . is all you need to get that straight.”—Bookforum

• ISBN10: 1299183603
• ISBN13: 9781299183605
• Publish Date: 1 January 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 8 April 2015
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Spiegel & Grau
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

I highly recommend the audiobook of this one as Eddie reads it himself which really added to the experience.

I found this a really interesting read as it shows the differences that tv shows make and how different things are for some immigrant families and their children. I'm very happy to see Eddie doing well now and being successful.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5★ Audiobook⎮Fresh Off the Boat grabbed my attention because of the ABC sitcom adapted from it. I started it looking for a laugh and came away with something much more profound.
There were still loads of laughs, though. During one particularly sleepless night, I laid in bed listening to this at 4 AM, laughing so hard that my pillow was wet with tears. There was something so refreshing about Eddie's way of storytelling. It was raw, unpolished, and entirely genuine. I felt his emotions.
Culturally, we have nothing in common, but I still found myself relating to Eddie. I loved hearing about his experiences growing up as a child in the 90s. That's the main reason I began that television show last year. However, hearing this audiobook made me realize how much of Eddie's story they had to tone down for television. The real Fresh Off the Boat is much more intense, making the ABC show look like Leave It to Beaver.
With every pop culture reference, I forged a stronger generational bond with Eddie Huang. The aforementioned 4 AM laughing spree was sparked by Eddie telling how he tortured his younger brother by holding him down and putting Nickelodeon Gak in his hair (remember Gak?).
I also related to him as a young adult. His reflections on the 2008 presidential election nearly brought me to tears. Eddie voiced feelings about that time that a lot of people can relate to. Most of Eddie's feelings and experiences are specifically tied to his being Chinese-American, but I definitely think that those from other cultures and minorities will be able to see pieces of their own stories reflected in Eddie's experiences.
Eddie speaks candidly of a deeply-rooted issue in America thats effects transcend one culture (racial stereotyping). He addressed this issue in a way everyone can understand, even if they haven't personally experienced its effects. That's more than I could ever do and I applaud Eddie's courage.
This didn't come across as a politically-motivated memoir, but it approached politically-sensitive issues. My favorite point Eddie made was saying that stereotyping is harmful because it has the power to create self-fulfilling prophecies. I had to stop the audiobook after that and reflect on what was just said.
In all, Fresh Off the Boat was much deeper than I was expecting. It was part politics, part comedy, and part cookbook. Personally, I could have done without so much of the cooking talk, but that's understandable since he's a chef (a fact of which I was previously unaware).
I learned so much about Eddie as an individual and about Chinese culture. I knew next to nothing about Chinese food and culture before beginning this memoir, so Fresh Off the Boat served as my introduction. Eddie's experiences were incredibly eye-opening.  There was something powerful about reading a memoir from someone (nearly) my own age. Knowing that he and I grew up around the same time, yet with completely different cultural backgrounds, helped me to appreciate his story even more.
Narration review: Eddie Huang narrated this audiobook. He opened it by breaking down the fourth wall and speaking directly to the listener about being in the recording studio. That introduction set the tone for the rest of the audiobook. Throughout the ensuing eight hours, it felt as if Eddie was speaking directly to me. His delivery was relaxed and casual. The best thing about his narration was when he would crack himself up telling a joke or funny story. His laughter was infectious and always got me laughing too.
Eddie also does the voiceover for the television adaptation, so I recognized his voice immediately. He didn't have the largest tonal range, so it was a little hard to distinguish who was speaking during his anecdotes, but that's not a huge detraction here. I overwhelmingly recommend hearing this on audiobook. ♣︎

[Beth C.]

Some people have a rough start in life and they use it as an excuse to never reach for anything, to never excel. Then there are people like Eddie Huang. Actually, I'm not sure there *is* anyone else like Eddie. Fresh Off the Boat is as unique a memoir as they come, and it certainly is like no other from someone who is reasonably well-known for his cooking.

Eddie's family are FOB (fresh off the boat - new immigrants) when the book begins, though he is born in the United States. His father is...old-fashioned...and his treatment of his children veers way off the path into abusive territory. His mother appears to be not in her right mind half the time. And Eddie is completely honest about how he was often in trouble and was a rough kid. However, the book is written with utter truth and no pleas for understanding or excuses for behavior. He basically just says, this is who I am and how I got here. Take it or leave it. And he makes it very clear that if you choose to leave it, he won't really care one way or the other. His honesty is refreshing and is what truly makes the book more than the sum of its parts.

From the abuse doled out by his father, to the discrimination he received at the hands of kids and adults alike, to his best friends - Eddie lets it all hang out. It's a very well-written story, with an absolutely unique and intelligent voice. There were only two things that bothered me about the book, neither of them deal-breakers (in my mind). One - the story gets slightly off track about 1/3 of the way in, where the stories about partying begin to take over. I think it went on longer than necessary, but thankfully it was short-lived. Two - there were times when I couldn't understand a flippin' thing he was saying! The English he was writing was more like some crazy foreign language I never got around to learning. Thankfully, it came and went in fairly small bits at a time. It fit the story, so it's truly hard to nitpick that.

All-in-all, I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. He has built a successful business being true to himself, and this book is no different.