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Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart
A sharply observed and beautifully intimate memoir-in-pieces that uses one woman's life-long love affair with pop culture as a revelatory lens to explore family, identity, belonging, grief, and the power of female rage. Named a most anticipated book of the year by the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.
For most of Jen Sookfong Lee's life, pop culture was an escape from family tragedy and a means of fitting in with the larger culture around her. Anne of Green Gables promised her that, despite losing her father at the age of twelve, one day she might still have the loving family of her dreams, and Princess Diana was proof that maybe there was more to being a good girl after all. And yet as Jen grew up, she began to recognize the ways in which pop culture was not made for someone like her—the child of Chinese immigrant parents who looked for safety in the invisibility afforded by embracing model minority myths.
Ranging from the unattainable perfection of Gwyneth Paltrow and the father-figure familiarity of Bob Ross, to the long shadow cast by The Joy Luck Club and the life lessons she has learned from Rihanna, Jen weaves together key moments in pop culture with stories of her own failings, longings, and struggles as she navigates the minefields that come with carving her own path as an Asian woman, single mother, and writer. And with great wit, bracing honesty, and a deep appreciation for the ways culture shapes us, she draws direct lines between the spectacle of the popular, the intimacy of our personal bonds, and the social foundations of our collective obsessions.
For most of Jen Sookfong Lee's life, pop culture was an escape from family tragedy and a means of fitting in with the larger culture around her. Anne of Green Gables promised her that, despite losing her father at the age of twelve, one day she might still have the loving family of her dreams, and Princess Diana was proof that maybe there was more to being a good girl after all. And yet as Jen grew up, she began to recognize the ways in which pop culture was not made for someone like her—the child of Chinese immigrant parents who looked for safety in the invisibility afforded by embracing model minority myths.
Ranging from the unattainable perfection of Gwyneth Paltrow and the father-figure familiarity of Bob Ross, to the long shadow cast by The Joy Luck Club and the life lessons she has learned from Rihanna, Jen weaves together key moments in pop culture with stories of her own failings, longings, and struggles as she navigates the minefields that come with carving her own path as an Asian woman, single mother, and writer. And with great wit, bracing honesty, and a deep appreciation for the ways culture shapes us, she draws direct lines between the spectacle of the popular, the intimacy of our personal bonds, and the social foundations of our collective obsessions.
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published January 17, 2023
45 people are currently reading
3840 people want to read
About the author
Jen Sookfong Lee
15 books169 followersJen Sookfong Lee writes, talks on the radio and loves her slow cooker.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, was published in February 2011 as part of Annick Press’ Single Voice series. It follows a young girl as she struggles to balance her first and dangerous love affair with a difficult and demanding family.
Called “straight-ahead page-turning brilliance” by The National Post and shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The Better Mother, Jen’s sophomore novel, was published by Knopf in May 2011. Set in Vancouver during the mid-20th century and early 1980s, The Better Mother is about the accidental friendship between Miss Val, a longtime burlesque dancer, and Danny Lim, a wedding photographer trying to reconcile his past with his present.
A popular radio personality, Jen was the writing columnist for CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and All Points West for three years. She appears regularly as a columnist on The Next Chapter and Definitely Not the Opera, and is a frequent co-host of the Studio One Book Club. Jen is a member of the writing group SPiN and is represented by the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.
Born and raised in East Vancouver, Jen now lives in North Burnaby with her husband, son and hoodlum of a dog.
In 2007, Knopf Canada published Jen’s first novel, The End of East, as part of its New Face of Fiction program. Hailed as “an emotional powerhouse of a novel,” The End of East shines a light on the Chinese Canadian story, the repercussions of immigration and the city of Vancouver.
Shelter, Jen’s first fiction for young adults, was published in February 2011 as part of Annick Press’ Single Voice series. It follows a young girl as she struggles to balance her first and dangerous love affair with a difficult and demanding family.
Called “straight-ahead page-turning brilliance” by The National Post and shortlisted for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The Better Mother, Jen’s sophomore novel, was published by Knopf in May 2011. Set in Vancouver during the mid-20th century and early 1980s, The Better Mother is about the accidental friendship between Miss Val, a longtime burlesque dancer, and Danny Lim, a wedding photographer trying to reconcile his past with his present.
A popular radio personality, Jen was the writing columnist for CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and All Points West for three years. She appears regularly as a columnist on The Next Chapter and Definitely Not the Opera, and is a frequent co-host of the Studio One Book Club. Jen is a member of the writing group SPiN and is represented by the Carolyn Swayze Literary Agency.
Born and raised in East Vancouver, Jen now lives in North Burnaby with her husband, son and hoodlum of a dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
April 29, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up
I expected this to have a lot more actual pop culture and fandom in it, or a memoir about being in fandom. Instead it's just using bits of pop culture as a jumping off point for a memoir organized as essays. For this kind of memoir, I'm not sure how well the organizational structure worked for me and at times the pop culture stuff seemed more like a gimmick to make this stand out as a book than integral.
I like what this book is trying to do, the topics it wants to address are often important (growing up in an immigrant family, having a parent with mental health challenges, childhood trauma and grief, anti-Asian racism, being fetishized...). And part of me doesn't want to judge how someone chooses to tell their own story, but as a reader, this wasn't always the most interesting or effective narrative. These topics are too often approached in haphazard, even flippant way without much depth or sense of reflection. It doesn't feel like the author has fully processed or worked through things in her life and there's no mention of therapy that might aid in being able to discuss these things with more distance and depth. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean she hasn't been in therapy but if so it's certainly not obvious from how the book is written.
Again, I think the project has the potential to be an interesting one, but I was left wanting more. I received an audio review copy from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
I expected this to have a lot more actual pop culture and fandom in it, or a memoir about being in fandom. Instead it's just using bits of pop culture as a jumping off point for a memoir organized as essays. For this kind of memoir, I'm not sure how well the organizational structure worked for me and at times the pop culture stuff seemed more like a gimmick to make this stand out as a book than integral.
I like what this book is trying to do, the topics it wants to address are often important (growing up in an immigrant family, having a parent with mental health challenges, childhood trauma and grief, anti-Asian racism, being fetishized...). And part of me doesn't want to judge how someone chooses to tell their own story, but as a reader, this wasn't always the most interesting or effective narrative. These topics are too often approached in haphazard, even flippant way without much depth or sense of reflection. It doesn't feel like the author has fully processed or worked through things in her life and there's no mention of therapy that might aid in being able to discuss these things with more distance and depth. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean she hasn't been in therapy but if so it's certainly not obvious from how the book is written.
Again, I think the project has the potential to be an interesting one, but I was left wanting more. I received an audio review copy from Libro.FM, all opinions are my own.
March 2, 2023
*3.5 stars*
This book unfortunately slightly fell short of my expectations, not because it was a bad book by any means but because my expectations based off the synopsis of the book painted this book as something it was not.
Jen Sookfong Lee is a talented writer who profoundly delves into various themes such as race, representation and family. Whilst I connected to these aspects as a second generation immigrant, I'm not sure I was fully the target audience for this memoir. As a gen Z/cusper, I didn't connect to all the pop culture references and I didn't necessarily relate to the emotions of marriage and divorce which seemed to be a main theme of the book.
Also, for a book that is supposedly rooted in pop culture, the book sometimes felt more like a normal memoir with just some snippets of pop culture weaved throughout, which isn't bad just it's not what I expected and the pop culture aspect of the book is what I was most looking forward to. In fact, sometimes the link between the pop culture references and the themes of each essay felt slightly forced for the sake of being included. I also didn't particularly like this essay format, as the story jumped around a bit too much for me personally, although I know a lot of people preferred this format.
I can still appreciate the author's writing and look forward to reading other works by her.
This book unfortunately slightly fell short of my expectations, not because it was a bad book by any means but because my expectations based off the synopsis of the book painted this book as something it was not.
Jen Sookfong Lee is a talented writer who profoundly delves into various themes such as race, representation and family. Whilst I connected to these aspects as a second generation immigrant, I'm not sure I was fully the target audience for this memoir. As a gen Z/cusper, I didn't connect to all the pop culture references and I didn't necessarily relate to the emotions of marriage and divorce which seemed to be a main theme of the book.
Also, for a book that is supposedly rooted in pop culture, the book sometimes felt more like a normal memoir with just some snippets of pop culture weaved throughout, which isn't bad just it's not what I expected and the pop culture aspect of the book is what I was most looking forward to. In fact, sometimes the link between the pop culture references and the themes of each essay felt slightly forced for the sake of being included. I also didn't particularly like this essay format, as the story jumped around a bit too much for me personally, although I know a lot of people preferred this format.
I can still appreciate the author's writing and look forward to reading other works by her.
January 8, 2023
4.5! Thank you to the publishers and Libro fm for the advanced listening copy (and for M&S for sending me a physical copy!)
These essays are phenomenal and dive deep Jen’s life and some pivotal/important parts in her life against the backdrop of pop culture moments (so Rihanna, Sia’s Chandelier, Justin Bieber’s Seasons, Princess Diana, and more). A wonderful look at what it’s like being Asian and a woman in a white Canadian world.
I may or may not have ordered her novels, because Jen sounds so badass and I’m kicking myself for never having read her before.
The audio was amazing, and read by the author, and easy to follow along and pay attention to for any rare audiobook listeners out there like me!
These essays are phenomenal and dive deep Jen’s life and some pivotal/important parts in her life against the backdrop of pop culture moments (so Rihanna, Sia’s Chandelier, Justin Bieber’s Seasons, Princess Diana, and more). A wonderful look at what it’s like being Asian and a woman in a white Canadian world.
I may or may not have ordered her novels, because Jen sounds so badass and I’m kicking myself for never having read her before.
The audio was amazing, and read by the author, and easy to follow along and pay attention to for any rare audiobook listeners out there like me!
January 31, 2023
This was such an honest and vulnerable memoir from Chinese Canadian writer Jen Sookfong Lee!!
Great on audio read by the author herself, she talks about her family, losing her father to cancer at a young age, her mother's struggles with mental health, her divorce, her writing career, feeling fetishized in many of her relationships and the lack of quality Asian representation in the media.
Lots of pop culture references are sprinkled throughout too, from Justin Beiber to Princess Diana to Anne of Green Gables. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it so well written! Much thanks to Librofm for a complimentary ALC!!
⚠️CW: abortion, divorce, loss of a parent from cancer, anti-Asian racism
Great on audio read by the author herself, she talks about her family, losing her father to cancer at a young age, her mother's struggles with mental health, her divorce, her writing career, feeling fetishized in many of her relationships and the lack of quality Asian representation in the media.
Lots of pop culture references are sprinkled throughout too, from Justin Beiber to Princess Diana to Anne of Green Gables. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it so well written! Much thanks to Librofm for a complimentary ALC!!
⚠️CW: abortion, divorce, loss of a parent from cancer, anti-Asian racism
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April 13, 2023A memoir is a very personal experience. Normally I would read it from a disassociated pov, knowing full well that I cannot judge someone’s experience. But it’s hard when you’re also a Chinese woman living in the same city. I had so many gut reactions to this book, that it made it hard for me to enjoy the actual pop culture content of it all. I couldn’t remove myself and my own perspectives, so please, read this review with a grain of salt. Because at the end of the day, this review could be more about me than the book. Before I start though, I do have to commend the author for talking about divorce and abortion so openly. It’s not easy to talk about, especially in immigrant communities.
Now onto the parts I had issues with:
🏡 / The author complains about her tiny cookie cutter townhome she buys as a single mom after her divorce. I’m sorry, I just really wish she acknowledged her housing privilege her rather than complain. For people with no context to Vancouver, a single person can barely fathom even getting a studio apartment these days without significant help from parents with wealth. This is not even including having a child.
✈️ / There’s one page where she talks about new wealthy immigrants post-Tiananmen, post 1997 HK takeover, and she frames them as wealthy immigrants who don’t have the same worries that, she and her established Chinese communities have as immigrants who’ve learned to survive by keeping their head down and live quietly. That is essentially echoing Sinophobic rhetoric that is pretty much mainstream here at this point. It needs to stop. I have no tolerance for hating on one group of Chinese people over another. She admits feeling bad for saying she’s not one of them, but doesn’t acknowledge how much stereotyping she’s doing here.
🐳 / She mentions falling in love with her partner after seeing his blue eyes. I know that’s just a writing gimmick, but could she have mentioned something about his personality instead? Her ex-husband is white and she mentions one time she tries to tell him and his friends that what they’re saying is racist and they tell her not to make a big deal of it. She doesn’t dissect this at all. In between she dated a man of color who she relates to for being able to understand what being an immigrant is like. And then she ends up with this new guy with no identifying factor to his personality other than he has blue eyes. What made her choose him I wonder?? She makes it sound like she’s made it. But in what? I want more than some cringe statement about his eyes, which implies that she loves him because he’s white. Why can't she just not be weird about this?
📎 / There’s a part where she’s upset about not being the “good Asian girl” because she wants to be a writer. I don’t know, but I just felt like she relies on a lot of stereotypes about Asians in her memoir. I have a lot of sympathy for Asian parents who push their kids, because I understand that being an immigrant means having no safety net. The pushing is a protective measure to try and ensure that your child has a good future. It can come across very wrong, but the sentiment behind it is well intentioned. There are also many Asian parents who do support their kids, and they are always erased.
Stopping here, but I just felt like this book kind of relied on old stereotypes and feels dated. I can see it being relatable to some, but as a new Vancouver immigrant, a lot of it really bothered me.
Thank you to PRH Canada for sending me a review copy.
Visit my Instagram @vanreads for more of my reviews.
Now onto the parts I had issues with:
🏡 / The author complains about her tiny cookie cutter townhome she buys as a single mom after her divorce. I’m sorry, I just really wish she acknowledged her housing privilege her rather than complain. For people with no context to Vancouver, a single person can barely fathom even getting a studio apartment these days without significant help from parents with wealth. This is not even including having a child.
✈️ / There’s one page where she talks about new wealthy immigrants post-Tiananmen, post 1997 HK takeover, and she frames them as wealthy immigrants who don’t have the same worries that, she and her established Chinese communities have as immigrants who’ve learned to survive by keeping their head down and live quietly. That is essentially echoing Sinophobic rhetoric that is pretty much mainstream here at this point. It needs to stop. I have no tolerance for hating on one group of Chinese people over another. She admits feeling bad for saying she’s not one of them, but doesn’t acknowledge how much stereotyping she’s doing here.
🐳 / She mentions falling in love with her partner after seeing his blue eyes. I know that’s just a writing gimmick, but could she have mentioned something about his personality instead? Her ex-husband is white and she mentions one time she tries to tell him and his friends that what they’re saying is racist and they tell her not to make a big deal of it. She doesn’t dissect this at all. In between she dated a man of color who she relates to for being able to understand what being an immigrant is like. And then she ends up with this new guy with no identifying factor to his personality other than he has blue eyes. What made her choose him I wonder?? She makes it sound like she’s made it. But in what? I want more than some cringe statement about his eyes, which implies that she loves him because he’s white. Why can't she just not be weird about this?
📎 / There’s a part where she’s upset about not being the “good Asian girl” because she wants to be a writer. I don’t know, but I just felt like she relies on a lot of stereotypes about Asians in her memoir. I have a lot of sympathy for Asian parents who push their kids, because I understand that being an immigrant means having no safety net. The pushing is a protective measure to try and ensure that your child has a good future. It can come across very wrong, but the sentiment behind it is well intentioned. There are also many Asian parents who do support their kids, and they are always erased.
Stopping here, but I just felt like this book kind of relied on old stereotypes and feels dated. I can see it being relatable to some, but as a new Vancouver immigrant, a lot of it really bothered me.
Thank you to PRH Canada for sending me a review copy.
Visit my Instagram @vanreads for more of my reviews.
May 15, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ I expected more pop culture references and fandom…as the title and subtitle suggests. I was especially interested as the author is close to my age so I was looking forward to pop culture references I would know. The cover art and author blurbs make this book look and sound like it’s going to be a fun read. And it by far was not. Not that the topics weren’t worthy of discussion, I was just expecting something totally different. Topics included grief (death of a parent), family trauma, depression, living up to parents standards, white people’s (particularly men’s) fetish with Asian women, divorce, struggles with being a single parent and Asian hate. Overall this collection of essays was just ok and I felt the essays jumped around a bit too much for my liking. I prefer when these types of collections are more linear.
December 19, 2023
Real Rating: 4.5 stars
Superfan is a series of essays bound together as a memoir. The author's experiences are book-ended with cultural parallels and references that impacted and influenced the author's experience at that time, and retrospectively.
I saw a lot of my own experiences reflected through this book - through the experience of having an isolated, and sometimes emotionally abusive mother, to dealing with being a child of Chinese immigrant (in terms of buying into the model minority stereotype, dimming my "otherness" for a White audience, "yellow peril," and generally feeling the weight of generations past), to retreating into books and small joys to escape. I'm sure a lot of my experience in the future will later be reflected by this story - the potentials of motherhood, the weight of being a Chinese female in Canada, the burden of people's expectations and my own needs to give until I have nothing left for myself. Jen Sookfong Lee poured herself and her experiences in this book and I found myself both reflected in and educated by her stories.
Throughout the book, Jen walks the line between the Chinese diaspora narrative while using Western pop culture to ground her story, and that really is the diasporic experience - that inbetweeness. I adore her for putting her story out into the world and the way it turned my own pain and experience into words. A fantastic memoir that I'd definitely recommend.
TW: death of a parent, emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, racism, depression, abortion, grief; mentions gun violence, death, domestic abuse, panic attack
Finished copy gifted by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.
Superfan is a series of essays bound together as a memoir. The author's experiences are book-ended with cultural parallels and references that impacted and influenced the author's experience at that time, and retrospectively.
I saw a lot of my own experiences reflected through this book - through the experience of having an isolated, and sometimes emotionally abusive mother, to dealing with being a child of Chinese immigrant (in terms of buying into the model minority stereotype, dimming my "otherness" for a White audience, "yellow peril," and generally feeling the weight of generations past), to retreating into books and small joys to escape. I'm sure a lot of my experience in the future will later be reflected by this story - the potentials of motherhood, the weight of being a Chinese female in Canada, the burden of people's expectations and my own needs to give until I have nothing left for myself. Jen Sookfong Lee poured herself and her experiences in this book and I found myself both reflected in and educated by her stories.
Throughout the book, Jen walks the line between the Chinese diaspora narrative while using Western pop culture to ground her story, and that really is the diasporic experience - that inbetweeness. I adore her for putting her story out into the world and the way it turned my own pain and experience into words. A fantastic memoir that I'd definitely recommend.
TW: death of a parent, emotional and physical abuse, sexual assault, sexual harassment, racism, depression, abortion, grief; mentions gun violence, death, domestic abuse, panic attack
Finished copy gifted by Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2023
This book made me angry, but in the best way possible.
Usually, books written about and by Chinese-Canadian women sadden me as I find glimpses of my own experiences in their stories or similarities with the characters with such a background, but this one made me angry.
I loved how the format of this book follows different aspects of pop culture and Jen Sookfong Lee's own reflections about them. Despite not being familiar with some of them, her descriptions allow the reader into her emotions and I often felt like I could relate to her a lot.
I also appreciate the variety of topics she tackles: from her experience with different types of grief to Asian fetishization to yellow peril. She describes her experiences with such clarity that I found myself growing in anger alongside her as I reminisce about my own experiences.
As great as the experience reading this book was, I found there were disparities with what I was promised when reading this book. I do think this is more an essay book although it started out more as a memoir. It feels more like a commentary on pop culture and her reflections about them throughout the different stages of her life, than really a story about her life. It was still enjoyable and this isn't a real complaint, but I did find the switch from one to another rather harsh and not exactly what I was expecting.
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me this book in exchange of an honest review!
Usually, books written about and by Chinese-Canadian women sadden me as I find glimpses of my own experiences in their stories or similarities with the characters with such a background, but this one made me angry.
I loved how the format of this book follows different aspects of pop culture and Jen Sookfong Lee's own reflections about them. Despite not being familiar with some of them, her descriptions allow the reader into her emotions and I often felt like I could relate to her a lot.
I also appreciate the variety of topics she tackles: from her experience with different types of grief to Asian fetishization to yellow peril. She describes her experiences with such clarity that I found myself growing in anger alongside her as I reminisce about my own experiences.
As great as the experience reading this book was, I found there were disparities with what I was promised when reading this book. I do think this is more an essay book although it started out more as a memoir. It feels more like a commentary on pop culture and her reflections about them throughout the different stages of her life, than really a story about her life. It was still enjoyable and this isn't a real complaint, but I did find the switch from one to another rather harsh and not exactly what I was expecting.
Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for gifting me this book in exchange of an honest review!
January 12, 2023
I really liked the layout for this memoir. It was an essay collection about pop culture and how they shaped Jen Sookfong Lee's experiences as a Chinese-Canadian woman, including how Anne of Green Gables helped her in the wake of her father's death and more. It was raw and emotional, especially essays that touched on the prickly relationship with her mother.
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May 26, 2023I had no idea that Jen was from Vancouver, and absolutely loved how much she captured this place. So profound and at times hilarious.
May 29, 2023
Sookfong Lee is incredible. The layers of complexity in each essay were full of eye opening dives into the long process of discovering the silent diaspora of Chinese culture in Vancouver, it’s just such an astounding process of connecting with her true self, as a kid who grew up surrounded by pop culture that didn’t include her. This book is amazing. And her audiobook read by the author was especially touching.
February 5, 2023
My first memoir of 2023, and no doubt that this will become one of my top reads this year.
The layout of the book is creative and original, alternating between pop culture moments and a time or event in her own life. Jen Sookfong Lee uses different aspects of pop culture as a way to explore her identity, to grieve her father’s death, to express her female rage, and ultimately to try and understand the ways they shaped her experiences as a Chinese-Canadian woman growing up in an immigrant household.
This was an intimate read and I found myself connecting to many similar circumstances described in the book. My favorite chapters were the orphan, referencing anne of green gables, the good princess referencing princess diana and the constant need to be “a good chinese girl”, the boys on film and being subjected to asian fetish, and the homeland describing this eternal loop of being stuck in the ‘yellow peril’. Every essay written is so honest and raw, so heartbreaking and engaging.
This is for you if you find guidance in life through pop culture - arts, music, film, and more.
Thank you @penguinrandomhouseca for this gifted copy! ‘
The layout of the book is creative and original, alternating between pop culture moments and a time or event in her own life. Jen Sookfong Lee uses different aspects of pop culture as a way to explore her identity, to grieve her father’s death, to express her female rage, and ultimately to try and understand the ways they shaped her experiences as a Chinese-Canadian woman growing up in an immigrant household.
This was an intimate read and I found myself connecting to many similar circumstances described in the book. My favorite chapters were the orphan, referencing anne of green gables, the good princess referencing princess diana and the constant need to be “a good chinese girl”, the boys on film and being subjected to asian fetish, and the homeland describing this eternal loop of being stuck in the ‘yellow peril’. Every essay written is so honest and raw, so heartbreaking and engaging.
This is for you if you find guidance in life through pop culture - arts, music, film, and more.
Thank you @penguinrandomhouseca for this gifted copy! ‘
February 20, 2023
I absolutely loved SUPERFAN: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee and it had me tearing up by page two. I felt so seen by this book! In the introduction Jen shares how she grew up in East Vancouver after her grandfather immigrated from China. I related immensely right away when she mentions taking the sea bus and listening to New Kids on the Block. When I was young I had the NKOTB fashion plates and I also grew up in Vancouver. Back then it was hard to find myself in pop culture so I’m so happy this book is out in the world now. These essays are heartbreaking, engaging, funny and emotional. I loved learning about how pop culture influenced her life from Anne of Green Gables, Princess Diana, and Rihanna to The Joy Luck Club. I found the essay The Homeland especially touching as Jen discusses the Chinese diaspora. This book made me cry and I just loved it! I’m a Superfan of Jen Sookfong Lee!!
Thank you to McClelland & Stewart and Penguin Random House Canada for my advance review copy!
Thank you to McClelland & Stewart and Penguin Random House Canada for my advance review copy!
April 29, 2023
I'm being generous because this is a memoir, and it's about a real person's life, but I really did not like this.
I feel a bit betrayed because I bought it thinking it was a non-fiction book about fandom. It's not. It's a memoir about the author's life in which she chronicles (repetitively) her father's death, her abuse and failed relationships.
It was not enjoyable to read. I think the age difference made some the references to pop culture a bit lost on me as well. The entire chapter devoted to hating Gwyneth Paltrow for having a good life especially turned me off.
I feel a bit betrayed because I bought it thinking it was a non-fiction book about fandom. It's not. It's a memoir about the author's life in which she chronicles (repetitively) her father's death, her abuse and failed relationships.
It was not enjoyable to read. I think the age difference made some the references to pop culture a bit lost on me as well. The entire chapter devoted to hating Gwyneth Paltrow for having a good life especially turned me off.
January 17, 2025
Such a powerful book. I laughed, I cried, I gasped. This collection of essays is masterful: the author navigates between her life and pop culture icons, and weaves a thread between the two with such a delicate touch. I'll come back to this book again and again.
January 28, 2025
This book is underrated imo! Well, Jen’s story isn’t earth shattering, but her story should be read with a closer look at how consumerism works especially for those who need more representation. I love the way she shares pieces of herself and her stories while also shining a light to how impactful pop cultures are, and that should be looked through with more critical lenses.
I thoroughly enjoy the fact that Jen doesn’t just discuss how a certain pop culture reference shaped her view of the world or how she latched onto another reference to cope; instead, she leverages these references coupled with her life experience to criticize the problems with the world and the way it views people like her. For instance, she looks at Miss Saigon and the likes to discuss her own encounters with romance and criticizes Asian fetish; she uses Gwyneth Paltrow to elaborates on her inability to bounce back from her divorce while also criticizing how privileged women like Gwyneth capitalizes on audiences like Jen, the non cis white woman celebrity, to thrive post divorce (she managed to make me dislike Gwyneth!!); and more!
I could go on and on about how brilliant each essay was (some are not as effective or captivating, still!), but really, as someone who has had to cross so many cultural borders, has been the only person of color/queer person (or both) in the room, I too understand the need to be a chameleon, using pop culture as the prep room for my ever changing realities. What I appreciate the most is Jen’s appreciation and criticism of these pop cultures and their parts in influencing their target audience, however good or bad.
When I was surprised to see how many bad reviews there are here, I looked them up. Maybe the title misled most readers, making them expect to read about cool and fun pop cultures like fandoms and forums, but I’d say it’s awfully close minded and media illiterate to limit the book to your assumption, and not allow this memoir to be the story Jen wanted to tell.
4.5 rounded up because this book deserves better!
I thoroughly enjoy the fact that Jen doesn’t just discuss how a certain pop culture reference shaped her view of the world or how she latched onto another reference to cope; instead, she leverages these references coupled with her life experience to criticize the problems with the world and the way it views people like her. For instance, she looks at Miss Saigon and the likes to discuss her own encounters with romance and criticizes Asian fetish; she uses Gwyneth Paltrow to elaborates on her inability to bounce back from her divorce while also criticizing how privileged women like Gwyneth capitalizes on audiences like Jen, the non cis white woman celebrity, to thrive post divorce (she managed to make me dislike Gwyneth!!); and more!
I could go on and on about how brilliant each essay was (some are not as effective or captivating, still!), but really, as someone who has had to cross so many cultural borders, has been the only person of color/queer person (or both) in the room, I too understand the need to be a chameleon, using pop culture as the prep room for my ever changing realities. What I appreciate the most is Jen’s appreciation and criticism of these pop cultures and their parts in influencing their target audience, however good or bad.
When I was surprised to see how many bad reviews there are here, I looked them up. Maybe the title misled most readers, making them expect to read about cool and fun pop cultures like fandoms and forums, but I’d say it’s awfully close minded and media illiterate to limit the book to your assumption, and not allow this memoir to be the story Jen wanted to tell.
4.5 rounded up because this book deserves better!
January 23, 2023
Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
In a series of poignant essays, Jen Sookfong Lee’s memoir, ‘Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart,’ reflects on her childhood and upbringing as the fifth daughter of Chinese immigrant parents in Canada. In those essays, Lee primarily uses pop culture to show how it had been a place of comfort in her upbringing and as a vehicle to draw a comparison and analyze pivotal moments and lessons throughout her life. Lee discusses loss, grief, fetishization, racism, divorce, starting fresh, and her relationships with her culture and family, amongst other themes.
I thoroughly enjoyed every essay in this collection. Lee does an incredible job of utilizing pop culture to illustrate her point. As mentioned above, she primarily uses it in two ways:
1) As a form of solace during her upbringing, between Anne of Green Gables and Bob Ross, I was in tears. While I am not Chinese, I am the daughter of Immigrants living in Canada, and I found Lee’s early years to parallel a lot of my own. Lee uses the pop culture she engaged with as a child to illustrate her struggles in a very tangible way. The essays were honest, painful, and very resonant.
2) As a vehicle to expand on social commentary. I found the second half of the memoir to be incredibly interesting. Lee uses pop culture to draw comparisons, explain, and analyze these pivotal moments in her life. She opens discussions on divorce and ending relationships while talking about Goop, she discusses women’s roles and the idea of a ‘genius’ through Justin Bieber, and she analyzes racism, fetishization, and cultural appropriation through many more examples. They were thought-provoking and genuine, and her writing is incredibly compelling.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy unconventional memoirs, the ones that are part-memoir-commentary like those of Roxanne Gay and Aubrey Gordon.
In a series of poignant essays, Jen Sookfong Lee’s memoir, ‘Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart,’ reflects on her childhood and upbringing as the fifth daughter of Chinese immigrant parents in Canada. In those essays, Lee primarily uses pop culture to show how it had been a place of comfort in her upbringing and as a vehicle to draw a comparison and analyze pivotal moments and lessons throughout her life. Lee discusses loss, grief, fetishization, racism, divorce, starting fresh, and her relationships with her culture and family, amongst other themes.
I thoroughly enjoyed every essay in this collection. Lee does an incredible job of utilizing pop culture to illustrate her point. As mentioned above, she primarily uses it in two ways:
1) As a form of solace during her upbringing, between Anne of Green Gables and Bob Ross, I was in tears. While I am not Chinese, I am the daughter of Immigrants living in Canada, and I found Lee’s early years to parallel a lot of my own. Lee uses the pop culture she engaged with as a child to illustrate her struggles in a very tangible way. The essays were honest, painful, and very resonant.
2) As a vehicle to expand on social commentary. I found the second half of the memoir to be incredibly interesting. Lee uses pop culture to draw comparisons, explain, and analyze these pivotal moments in her life. She opens discussions on divorce and ending relationships while talking about Goop, she discusses women’s roles and the idea of a ‘genius’ through Justin Bieber, and she analyzes racism, fetishization, and cultural appropriation through many more examples. They were thought-provoking and genuine, and her writing is incredibly compelling.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy unconventional memoirs, the ones that are part-memoir-commentary like those of Roxanne Gay and Aubrey Gordon.
March 29, 2023
AUDIOBOOK… Read by the author, a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
I am definitely the furthest thing you can/will find from a consumer of pop culture… I’ve never even heard of some of the pop culture icons she references, and most of the others, well I have little more than passing familiarity with them, name recognition at best. Regardless… I found this a fascinating title.
Similar to, but different than, Elamin Abdelmahmoud’s Son of Elsewhere. Jen, as Elamin, is a pop culture critic.
In this title, Jen looks back - as a female daughter of Chinese immigrants - and lays bare how her own sense of self and her formative life experiences were mediated through the lens of pop culture. There are many important take-aways from this title - about race, gender, sexuality, family dynamics, cultural appropriation, privilege and more - but I think the most important one is the understanding of Asian fetish.
This is a beautiful blending of the personal and the professional.
I am definitely the furthest thing you can/will find from a consumer of pop culture… I’ve never even heard of some of the pop culture icons she references, and most of the others, well I have little more than passing familiarity with them, name recognition at best. Regardless… I found this a fascinating title.
Similar to, but different than, Elamin Abdelmahmoud’s Son of Elsewhere. Jen, as Elamin, is a pop culture critic.
In this title, Jen looks back - as a female daughter of Chinese immigrants - and lays bare how her own sense of self and her formative life experiences were mediated through the lens of pop culture. There are many important take-aways from this title - about race, gender, sexuality, family dynamics, cultural appropriation, privilege and more - but I think the most important one is the understanding of Asian fetish.
This is a beautiful blending of the personal and the professional.
October 15, 2023
okay so this was a good learning moment: do not read the reviews before you read the actual book. I made this fatal mistake and went into this thinking that it was bad because the book didn't focus primarily on the history/context of the pop culture moments that were significant to the author (and was more of a memoir). if you're reading this, you are stupid because I absolutely adored this. the ratio of pop culture to personal stories is like 1:3 and were mostly entirely well-paired together. I particularly liked Kris Jenner/trauma with mom, Bob Ross/trauma with dad + sister bonds, Evelyn Lau/Asian fetishization, Amy Tan/Joy Luck Club/Asian woman identity, and the Biebster/gender roles in marriage pairings. I also made the mistake of reading this before going to bed most nights this week and found myself unable to actually sleep because I was thinking so much about my own relationships with my parents and sisters and my identity. It was all a bit too much for 11pm Sasha then, but 10am Sasha loves this so much right now.
February 2, 2023
My first five star read of 2023, and I’m especially thrilled about it because I picked this up at complete random after seeing the pretty cover in three different independent bookstores while holidays in Vancouver.
From the very first chapter, which centred around Anne of Green Gables, I was in love with this book. The way the author ties various parts of her life to pop culture is such an interesting and fun concept for a memoir.
Superfan discusses a range of topics from grief, mental health, racism, divorce and feminism in such an intimate and vulnerable way, it feels like you’re simply chatting with a friend.
I hope to have the chance to read some of Jen Sookfong Lee’s novels this year.
From the very first chapter, which centred around Anne of Green Gables, I was in love with this book. The way the author ties various parts of her life to pop culture is such an interesting and fun concept for a memoir.
Superfan discusses a range of topics from grief, mental health, racism, divorce and feminism in such an intimate and vulnerable way, it feels like you’re simply chatting with a friend.
I hope to have the chance to read some of Jen Sookfong Lee’s novels this year.
February 24, 2023
This is an incredible essay collection, and is most definitely in my sweet spot of a pop culture love letter and rethink.
The honesty in this book, especially about motherhood, anxiety, rage, hit me real hard in the heart and cracked it open. I'm very thankful to the author for expressing all her thoughts about her own mother and motherhood and for delving so deep into her personal thoughts and experiences with racism, anxiety. The writing and emotional thought and connection are phenomenal.
This book filled up my heart and broke it over and over again but somehow left it whole.
The honesty in this book, especially about motherhood, anxiety, rage, hit me real hard in the heart and cracked it open. I'm very thankful to the author for expressing all her thoughts about her own mother and motherhood and for delving so deep into her personal thoughts and experiences with racism, anxiety. The writing and emotional thought and connection are phenomenal.
This book filled up my heart and broke it over and over again but somehow left it whole.
Read
August 18, 2023Thanks to Libro for sending me an advance audio copy.
I thought this was going to be a series of essays on pop culture and the author's interactions with various pieces of media, but instead it was more of a memoir, with occasional thoughts and comparisons on pop culture included. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - I really enjoyed reading about the author's writing career and her experiences of being a daughter to a mother who didn't seem to care about her - it just wasn't what I expected going in. But the discussions of grief, familial love in our formative years, and how media can influence us were thought-provoking and enjoyable (thought the subject matter is sometimes very sad).
Content warnings for death of a parent, absentee mother.
I thought this was going to be a series of essays on pop culture and the author's interactions with various pieces of media, but instead it was more of a memoir, with occasional thoughts and comparisons on pop culture included. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - I really enjoyed reading about the author's writing career and her experiences of being a daughter to a mother who didn't seem to care about her - it just wasn't what I expected going in. But the discussions of grief, familial love in our formative years, and how media can influence us were thought-provoking and enjoyable (thought the subject matter is sometimes very sad).
Content warnings for death of a parent, absentee mother.
July 3, 2023
This was great. Memoirs and I often don't mix - I feel uncomfortable reading them a lot of the time, like why do I need to know this much about this person. But Lee's voice was so biting and also heartbreaking, plus she's a year younger than me so all the pop culture references hit me so hard.
January 23, 2023
Much like TASTE told Stanley Tucci’s life through food, this memoir follows Lee’s life through pop culture. I loved this reflexive lens. After reading this book, I really would like to read Lee’s fiction, as I think this would have added to my reading experience. Thanks to Libro.fm for my copy of this audiobook!
June 28, 2023
(4.5 stars, rounded up)
September 23, 2024
I wasn't sure what to expect only remembering the author from TV. It was mostly interesting and seemed honest. My favourite was the one with Rihanna in the title.
August 6, 2024
2.75💫really wanted to love this. I saw the vision but definitely didn’t fully get it ☹️ the pop culture references felt loosely threaded in for the general tagline of the book
Read
May 21, 2023Mini Audiobook Review: Thank you to Libro Fm for a complimentary copy of this audiobook!
Content Warning from Storygraph:
“You remember the first time you fell in love with a celebrity, don’t you?”
This memoir was a quick listen that is narrated by the author.
Lee blends her up bringing to different pop culture moments that helped carry her along the way.
The most prominent pop culture icon that had been very important to her was none other than Bob Ross and his Joy of Painting tv show. It was something she would watch as a child that helped soothe her and comforted her during her father's illness and then death.
I did wish that there was more of a parallel between her life and pop culture. Sometimes it didn't feel like they went together with the exception of Bob Ross. I still enjoyed learning about her life & experiences as a child of Chinese immigrants in Canada.
Naturally I enjoyed the chapters on featuring Princess Diana's wedding, the Kardashians and Justin Bieber.
I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.
Content Warning from Storygraph:
“You remember the first time you fell in love with a celebrity, don’t you?”
This memoir was a quick listen that is narrated by the author.
Lee blends her up bringing to different pop culture moments that helped carry her along the way.
The most prominent pop culture icon that had been very important to her was none other than Bob Ross and his Joy of Painting tv show. It was something she would watch as a child that helped soothe her and comforted her during her father's illness and then death.
I did wish that there was more of a parallel between her life and pop culture. Sometimes it didn't feel like they went together with the exception of Bob Ross. I still enjoyed learning about her life & experiences as a child of Chinese immigrants in Canada.
Naturally I enjoyed the chapters on featuring Princess Diana's wedding, the Kardashians and Justin Bieber.
I will not be rating Non Fiction books as it is based on real events and real experiences.
February 3, 2023
This review was originally posted to my bookstagram:
✍🏻I was sent a copy of Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee to review. #PenguinReads
This review is 100% honest.
✍🏻When I first started reading Superfan, the idea and the execution of the memoir was very appealing to me. It’s well-written and I was excited to read about pop culture elements; maybe go through memory lane. That’s not quite what happened.
✍🏻There were many pop culture references that I didn’t understand. That’s definitely on me, but it tainted my overall enjoyment of this book.
✍🏻What I absolutely loved was the author’s story. Her fitting in to the Chinese-Canadian identity, sometimes not really knowing who she is, was insightful. I’m sure many immigrants will relate to her story, as well as her family’s. Her father died when she was young and her mother raised her and her siblings alone, in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language.
✍🏻As I read on, I lost interest more and more, except for a few pop culture references that shortly brought my attention back (Justin Bieber and Princess Diana). I came to the conclusion that I am not the targeted reader for this memoir. However, it makes the reader question the predominance of whiteness in the publishing industry as well as the importance of belonging to a new culture.
✍🏻Read the back cover and decide for yourself whether you’d like to immerse yourself in this book.
✍🏻I was sent a copy of Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart by Jen Sookfong Lee to review. #PenguinReads
This review is 100% honest.
✍🏻When I first started reading Superfan, the idea and the execution of the memoir was very appealing to me. It’s well-written and I was excited to read about pop culture elements; maybe go through memory lane. That’s not quite what happened.
✍🏻There were many pop culture references that I didn’t understand. That’s definitely on me, but it tainted my overall enjoyment of this book.
✍🏻What I absolutely loved was the author’s story. Her fitting in to the Chinese-Canadian identity, sometimes not really knowing who she is, was insightful. I’m sure many immigrants will relate to her story, as well as her family’s. Her father died when she was young and her mother raised her and her siblings alone, in a foreign country where she didn’t speak the language.
✍🏻As I read on, I lost interest more and more, except for a few pop culture references that shortly brought my attention back (Justin Bieber and Princess Diana). I came to the conclusion that I am not the targeted reader for this memoir. However, it makes the reader question the predominance of whiteness in the publishing industry as well as the importance of belonging to a new culture.
✍🏻Read the back cover and decide for yourself whether you’d like to immerse yourself in this book.
December 25, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for this Arc!! Superfan describes the trials and tribulations of author Jen Sookfong Lee's life in relation to the Pop Culture that she grew up around. We see her talk about her very tumultous relationship with her mother in relation to Kris Jenner, her experience understanding femininty and womanhood in comparison to celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, and my favorite her understanding of loss and grief through her connection with Bob Ross. As someone who has such a foot into the world of pop culture, I can see how and why this world plays such a huge role in Jen's life (it plays almost an even bigger role in my own life.) It was refreshing to read about Jen's life growing up as an Asian Canadian in Vancouver, when I find myself in the same circumstances. She doesn't shy away from talking about topics that sits on everyone's mind but some may find too brash to discuss. I found this to be an enjoyable and times complex read, and one I think most people my age will be able to connect to! A very very good read :)
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