How to American Audiobook

Stand-up comic, actor and fan favorite from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley shares his memoir of growing up as a Chinese immigrant in California and making it in Hollywood.

“I turned down a job in finance to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. My dad thought I was crazy. But I figured it was better to disappoint my parents for a few years than to disappoint myself for the rest of my life. I had to disappoint them in order to pursue what I loved. That was the only way to have my Chinese turnip cake and eat an American apple pie too.”

Jimmy O. Yang is a stand-up comedian, film and TV actor and fan favorite as the character Jian Yang from the popular HBO series Silicon Valley. In How to American, he shares his story of growing up as a Chinese immigrant who pursued a Hollywood career against the wishes of his parents: Yang arrived in Los Angeles from Hong Kong at age 13, learned English by watching BET’s Rap City for three hours a day, and worked as a strip club DJ while pursuing his comedy career. He chronicles a near-deportation episode during a college trip to Tijuana to finally becoming a proud US citizen 10 years later. Featuring those and many other hilarious stories while sharing some hard-earned lessons, How to American mocks stereotypes while offering tongue-in-cheek advice on pursuing the American dreams of fame, fortune, and strippers.