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Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life – Ali Wong

9th March 2020
dear girls book cover

Introduction

Dear Girls is supposedly written for the author’s 2 daughters. This book is chosen as the Best Humor Book of the Year in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019. That is how I knew about this book. The book explores the topics that the author wish to discuss with her late father.



Author

Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian by profession. She has produced 2 Netflix stand-up specials: Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife. Perhaps you know her as the main character in a Netflix movie known as Always Be My Maybe. Her birth name is Alexander Dawn Wong.



Content

Dear Girls has a preface, a total of 14 chapters, and an afterword by Justin Hakuta, the author’s husband.

The titles of the chapters in numerical order are 1) How I Trapped Your Father, 2) The Miracle of Life, 3) Tips on Giving Birth, 4) Why I Went Back to Work, 5) Hustle and Pho, 6) Snake Heart, 7) The DJ, 8) Mr. Wong, 9) A Guide to Asian Restaurants, 10) Bringing Up Bébés, 11) Uncle Andrew, 12) My Least Favorite Question, 13) Bridin’ Dirty, and 14) Wild Child.



Review

Dear Girls is supposed to be a collection of letters for the author’s daughters. This book is inspired by a note left by her late father. In this book, the author lays bare her own life.

Her late dad was Chinese while her mom is Vietnamese. The author’s birth was actually an accident (not supposed to be conceived) and the knowledge about this fact did affect her. She had a tense relationship with her mother but in the end, she realized the sacrifice of her mom and their relationship improves.

The author also talked about her miscarriage. This book lets me know that how common it is to have miscarriage.

The author mentions something about Asians that I can relate to. According to her, Asians like predictability and safety. We want to know that if we work hard, there will be a payoff. However, life does not always work like that. Thus, sometimes, it is important to challenge ourselves and step out of our comfort zone.

Overall, this book is very funny. Nonetheless, in some occasions (quite frequently) the words are so raunchy to the verge of filthy that they make me squirm. Furthermore, there are some words/slangs that are really hard to understand. But I cannot deny the fact that this book manages to make me laugh so hard.

Before I end, I have to say that the author is lucky to have such a nice husband. Her husband is very understanding and supportive of her career. He even gave up his own career for hers without any grudge. She is truly blessed to have met such a good man.



Quotes

  1. Life is too short to be wasting meals on bad food.
  2. The answers to making it, to me, are a lot more universal than anyone’s race or gender, and center on having a tolerance for delayed gratification, a passion for the craft, and a willingness to fail.
  3. When in doubt, go out. Not just for material, but to experience new people, new social situations, and unfamiliar surroundings.
  4. A wedding is not a marriage. It’s one day of celebration, one of hopefully many with the love of your life.
  5. Being in a relationship will inevitably offer up uncertainty, risk, and challenges. Find someone who is willing and able to come up with creative solutions as issues arise and take leaps for you when called for.


Rating

3 out of 3 stars



Interested in Dear Girls?

You may get the book from Kinokuniya Malaysia through the link below*.

Get the book here

*Disclosure: The above link is Involve Asia affiliate link. Thus, I may earn a small commission when you purchase the book through this link.

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