Simu Lui’s “We Were Dreamers”

Buckle up, buttercups, because there’s a lot to unpack here.

Simu Lui of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings fame wrote a memoir and it is such a daggum journey. I first picked up We Were Dreamers because I was trying to get an interview with him for work for AAPI month (still hoping, Simu!), but that didn’t work out schedule-wise. But, the book was too good good to put down just because I wasn’t getting my way.

Let me tell ya, this one is a whole dang journey. I should’ve braced myself better for what was ahead just based on the first chapter. Simu tells the story of when he got the call from Marvel that he had the role of Shang-Chi. That came just a couple days before his casting was announced on what’s probably the biggest stage in entertainment: an evening panel at San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H.

I was in the room for that announcement, but didn’t fully appreciate it how important it was for millions of people. The room was already buzzing just because it was a Marvel announcement and the 8,000 people present spent the entire day trying to get in for that moment. I was pumped to see Game of Thrones stars Kit Harrington and Richard Madden, as well as Angelina Jolie in the flesh as part of The Eternals introduction, so seeing an actor I didn’t know announced as a superhero I’d never heard of, didn’t register as a big deal, especially among all the major reveals presented during that hour.

But now, with a couple years of education and the hindsight of seeing the movie and the reaction to it, reading Simu’s initial account of that moment and his vulnerability of sharing his emotional reaction made me tear up.

That was not the only time I cried reading We Were Dreamers.

One thing I love about this is Simu doesn’t just share his own immigration story. He also includes his parents’ journey from China to North America, and why they left him behind for a couple years. He gets very real about his relationship with his parents, including the ugly and hard parts that most would try to dance around instead of share with the world. It takes guts and I applaud it.

What also takes guts is how he’s lived his life. The way he turned a massive disappointment wrapped in a whole lot of familiar pressure into relentlessly chasing his dreams is nothing short of inspirational. I’ll avoid spoiling the journey, but dang, the man makes me feel a bit like a slacker since he’s just three months older and done so much more than me. Lol. Point being, he didn’t get to Shang Chi without pushing through a vast amount of challenges and it shows how far passion can take you.

I may not be an immigrant or of color, but I still saw parts of my own life reflected in his story, and I think that’s what makes We Were Dreamers such a great memoir. It’s gritty, funny, honest, relatable, and inspiring, all wrapped up into one beautifully written package. This is easily one of my top three memoirs I’ve ever read (the others being Dave Grohl and Matthew McConaughey). Do not sleep on this one. Seriously.

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