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Jessica Bui

Dr. Cruz Medina

English 1A

September 19, 2023

Literacy Narrative

In the quiet corners of my mind, there are two concepts that have always had an unusual

grasp over me: "Imposter Syndrome" and "social anxiety." These aren't simply words; they are

the muffled echoes of a journey that I've been on for a very long time, long before I understood

what they meant. Why do I have this terrible feeling of failure so frequently? Why do I feel at

times as though I'm not good enough? These thoughts echo in the spaces of my head when I'm

alone. I want to feel normal, to fit in with the crowd without standing out, and to be just like

everyone else. These thoughts continued to swim inside my head like unwanted sharks growing

up. However, as I read the excerpt of Simu Liu's memoir We Were Dreamers, I couldn't help but

feel a deep connection with the ideas he talks about. I recognized how Simu’s story resonated

with mine a lot. I reflected on growing up as a first generation, family expectations, stereotypical

representation of Asians in western media, and how diverse the US is slowly becoming.

Growing up, there were some things my parents could help me with, but as I grew older it

became harder for them to help me because they didn't know about a lot of stuff I was talking

about. A moving line from Simu Liu's memoir, "We knew that nothing was going to be handed to

us, and we knew we were going to have to work twice as hard as everyone else" (Liu, 97),

captures the dedicated determination of people from immigrant backgrounds wanting to succeed

in a new country. As immigrants or children of immigrants, we all relate to this quote. The SAT

was originally made as a tactic to keep immigrants away from college according to many sources
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like TeenVogue. I was set for failure from the start. Even though I’m not an immigrant, I AM a

first generation Asian American student. There were times in my life where I thought it was

unfair that not only am I first generation, but also the oldest in the family. In addition to that, I

didn’t have many close relatives to guide me educationally. I was introduced to many things my

parents had never heard of before and I often felt so lost to the point where I had to rely on the

internet for answers. Since I was a kid, I’ve noticed my dad works hard to provide for a family of

4, but since he doesn’t have a degree, he makes very little. Knowing that made me want to work

harder in school. Over the years, I sought out opportunities myself knowing no one would hold

my hand and guide me forever. I would find friends from the same class and ask for their help

when I didn’t know how to do something, talk to teachers if my grade was bad, and discover

tutor websites to ask for additional help. By doing this, I was able to understand almost

everything I learned and my grades improved. I got so much better at time management and

stopped doubting myself.

In chapter 9 of We Were Dreamers, Simu Liu reflects on his childhood and family

expectations on him in this quote, “I was just a moderately intelligent kid that was raised with a

bit of a head start by parents who saw good grades as the only surefire path to financial stability.”

(Liu, 98) This quote specifically describes every Asian kid’s nightmare and how much pressure

they face with the overwhelming expectations their parents put on them. This line is a

heartbreaking reminder of the difficulties that young people from Asian families frequently face.

Academic achievement is often seen as the only path to financial security, and the weight of

these expectations may be oppressive. When reading this quote, I instantly felt a connection to it.

While my parents don’t have as intense beliefs as Simu’s parents, growing up, my parents would

always remind me to do well in school to get into college and get a degree. My parents are
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immigrants from Vietnam who never had an education in the United States, so they are

constantly reminding me how privileged and fortunate I am to have access to the best education

available.

In addition to family expectations, Simu Liu discusses his observation growing up with

incorrect and stereotypical Asian representation in the media. He states, “Asian men were

frequently depicted in Western media as awkward, nerdy and completely undatable-” (Liu, 104)

This is a quote I agree with the most. I especially despise how Western media always makes any

Asian character of a film as someone intellectual or unpopular. Specifically, when it comes to

Asian girls and women in Western movies, they are always the unpopular, bullied, and nerdy girl

that gets saved by a white guy that’s supposedly “popular” and “hot.” There are very few

Western movies or shows with an Asian girl that actually ends with an Asian boy that gets

popular. Hollywood also has a tendency to cast any Asian actor in any Asian part

indiscriminately; for example, a Chinese actor may play a Korean character. And while people

may not notice this and can’t tell the difference between ethnicities because “all Asians look the

same,” it still really offends me sometimes to see wrong ethnicity casting in Western films. Simu

Liu also mentions how J. K. Rowling named her only Chinese character Cho Chang and says,

“(Just so we're clear, Cho and Chang are both last names... in Korean.)” (Liu, 108) This further

shows how many people in the Western media and literature lack cultural research.

Over time, the field of literature has seen remarkable growth, becoming more diverse and

representative. The increasing range of various works has been one noticeable change in this

development. Growing up, I mostly read books where the main characters are white, so in the

past few years I've started finding more diverse books and I'm glad to see it. Once I was reading

a book called A Pho Love story and the main characters were two Vietnamese American teens.
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My mom was shocked to see a book featuring Asian Americans characters taking the lead. It

served as a heartbreaking reminder of how Asian characters had previously been

underrepresented or subjected to negative stereotypes in Western literature. A major turning

point in my reading career was that discovery. It sparked an unexpected enthusiasm in me to look

for literature that will broaden my horizons as well as entertain me. I started deliberately looking

for books with characters from other backgrounds. These stories, which were frequently subtle

and perceptive, gave me a new perspective on the world and shed light on the various cultural

experiences of individuals. My literary exploration also extended beyond issues of cultural

diversity. I also read books that explored the complex subject of mental health, highlighting the

hardships and successes of individuals struggling with various mental diseases.

In conclusion, I illustrated how words like "Imposter Syndrome" and "social anxiety"

continue to affect my perspective of myself, resulting in ongoing feelings of unworthiness and a

longing for normal. Yet as I read Simu Liu's narrative "We Were Dreamers," I felt a powerful

connection. Simu's story mirrored many of my own experiences, from being a first-generation

child and dealing with family expectations to dealing with the clichéd image of Asians in

Western media to seeing how diverse the US is slowly becoming.

Work Cited:

Liu, Simu. We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story. HarperCollins, 2022.

Accessed 14 September 2023

Viera, Mariana. “The History of the SAT Is Mired in Racism and Elitism.” Teen Vogue, 1

October 2018,
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https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-history-of-the-sat-is-mired-in-racism-and-elitism.

Accessed 20 September 2023.