Sidesplitter: How To Be From Two Worlds At Once

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The pandemic, meanwhile, has forced Wang to face uncomfortable truths about his own altruism. “Oh, yeah, I haven’t helped a soul,” he reflects. “I thought I was going to buy old people their shopping, I was going to volunteer at vaccination centres. I haven’t helped a single person all pandemic. At this point it is actually impressive. With the blurb and introduction indicating that this was more essays than memoir, I'd hoped that Wang would have some funny and interesting things to say. And as it turned out, he had some interesting things to say, with autobiographical elements adding colour to the topics he explored and how they affected him as a mixed-race person. He points out the daftness of the more extreme reactions to perceived “cultural appropriation” while asking people to simply not be rude in the way that they might “use” elements from a different culture. I hadn’t realised how much I use standup to process my own thoughts’: Phil Wang. Photograph: Pål Hansen/The Observer We all need to catch up on the history of Asian-Americans and Rise is an easy and fun way to do so. Recommended for just about anyone.

Phil Wang to publish first book, Sidesplitter - British

The first generation of U.S.-born Asian Americans raised after 1965’s Hart-Cellar Act passed would have found it difficult to imagine that sushi and boba would one day be beloved by all, that a Korean boy band named BTS would be the biggest musical act in the world, that one of the biggest movies of 2018 would be Crazy Rich Asians, or that a Facebook group for Asian American identity memes would be 2 million members strong. And that’s not mentioning the execs working behind the scenes at major companies; the activists and representatives fighting for equity; and the singers, rappers, dance crews, and social media pioneers making their mark on pop culture. And still: Asian America is just getting started. What do people say about the importance of winning The War? 'If it wasn't for my grandfather, we'd all be speaking German!' Oh no! Not a second language!"A really fascinating, funny look at how growing up with a white British mother and a Malasian father has helped shape Phil Wang's views on family, food and race among other things.

Sidesplitter: How To Be From Two Worlds At Once by Phil Wang

I am proud to be the first comedian of east Asian descent to have done the things I have in British comedy. It means a lot when a Eurasian or east Asian person tells me it matters to them.Calling all Phil Wang fans - the dude has written a book! Essentially his musings on what it means to be mixed race in today’s world with a whole lot of funny thrown in, Sidesplitter is a thought (and chortle) provoking read. From History to nature, food to love, Wang covers his experience of life being from two very different worlds, and there is both serious discussion and laughs aplenty. After moving to Bath at 16, Wang became president of the Footlights at Cambridge University. He reflects upon his experiences as a Eurasian man in the book, examining the contrasts between Eastern and Western cultures and delving into Britain and Malaysia's shared history, alighting on topics ranging from food, family, cultural cachet and assimilation, to empire, colonialism and soft power. Comedian Phil Wang, 32, was born in Stoke-on-Trent and raised in Malaysia. He studied engineering at Cambridge University, where he became president of the Footlights. Last year, he released a Netflix comedy special, Philly Philly Wang Wang, and published a book, Sidesplitter: How to Be from Two Worlds at Once. The UK and Ireland leg of his world tour, Wang in There, Baby! begins in spring 2023. He is single and lives in London. Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang and Sidesplitter". Digital Spy. 21 July 2021 . Retrieved 26 October 2021. Just what I was after - a humorous (often genuinely loud-out-loud funny), interesting and touching not-memoir from Phil Wang, one of the funniest comedians on the scene at the moment.

Sidesplitter, by Phil Wang : Book reviews 2021 : Chortle Sidesplitter, by Phil Wang : Book reviews 2021 : Chortle

This book definitely made me laugh and I really wish I could be at Phil Wang's event at Cheltenham Literature festival because I would love to hear more from him. The structure of the book is a great balance between facts and observations alongside humour and personal opinions. I definitely learned a lot as well as laughing out loud at various moments. I like how this book is marketed as 'not a memoir' but each section comes from a very personal point of view. The bits I thought best were those about Malaysian culture, in particular the nature of its language and approach to family. Part of that was because it was new to me, but nonetheless it was an insightful contrast with the UK, and also matched something that Tony Hawks had found when he went to Moldova - there is more room for comedy and frivolity when society has become settled and the fundamentals sorted out. Phil Wang has been asked this question so many times he's lost count. So, finally, he decided to write a book about it. About how to be from two places at once. Phil’s dry sense of humour comes over really well in this audiobook. It feels like he’s dealing with some quite serious and potentially contentious issues in a way which makes it safe to have the conversation. I especially like the fact that while he says he is comfortable with the ‘where are you really from’ question when it comes from a place of genuine curiosity, but he recognises that his experience and perspective is personal and that for other people there are good reasons why that question can be offensive. As the book approaches the 2020’s, it explores the highs and lows of the 2010 decade complete with the whiplash as we pivoted away from a “post-racial” America to, well, not.Inspired by his forthcoming book Sidesplitter, Phil and a panel of guests explore the subjects of food, empire, music, nature, assimilation and power, and what they mean in today's multicultural society.

Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now

Phil was born in the UK, in Stoke-on-Trent to an English mother and a Chinese-Malaysian father. Three weeks after his birth, the Wang family returned to his father's hometown in Malaysia, and at age 16, Phil was uprooted once again, to return with his family to the UK. It is an ignorant person who proudly declares a disinterest in the different life experiences of others." Gil, Natalie (14 September 2015). "Learn from our mistakes: freshers' week regrets". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 19 March 2018. And if that sentence doesn’t make much sense to you, you are invited to delve into the complexity of loving something like Indiana Jones so much and yet, having mixed feelings. (To my chagrin, I’m looking forward to Indiana Jones 5 – the Dial of Senior Living.) The through-line, however, is faint. Phil's thesis is that both sides of his identity complete him, even if that means never fully belonging to either England or Malaysia. Some sections are overdrawn and the momentum of his narration slows, but even in its slower moments, Sidesplitter is still funny in its one-liners and anecdotes. The balance between comedy and storytelling can be difficult to walk, especially when towing lines like cultural appropriation and inclusive language. Even when talking extensively about frequent flier miles, Phil Wang writes with a bold personal and cultural awareness.

It's about how to consolidate two home countries into one unified identity, what it's like always having family on the other side of the world no matter where I am, and whether or not it is possible for everyone to feel a strong sense of home. I also wanted to answer the question 'Where are you really from?' by saying 'You'll have to buy my book'." I recently read the book "Rise: A Pop History of Asian America from the Nineties to Now" by Jeff Yang, Phil Yu and Philip Wang and was absolutely delighted by the clever and entertaining way the authors gather many short prose pieces and graphical content from contributors from many corners to present many different perspectives into the experiences of Asian Pacific Americans through the lens of popular culture and our localized sub-culture. The book ranges from the sobering timeline and, honestly, baseline of racist propaganda in America to the hilarious and heartwarming anecdotes more recent triumphs. Though the book touches from when the first Filipino slaves jumped ship from the Spanish Galleons in 1762, the book focuses on the last three decades of Asian American history, from the 1990s through the 2010s.