Daisy J. Hung’s biography, I Am Not a Tourist: Conversations on Being British Chinese, narrated by Katie Leung, is an insightful and thorough account of her experiences growing up Chinese and being regularly mistaken for a tourist due to the assumption that she speaks Mandarin. The focus of the book was predominantly on England and Wales
An excellently researched and genuinely insightful look into the British Chinese experience. She provides a lot of statistics and quotes; at times, I felt like I was listening to a thesis statement.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the very first sentence, this audiobook completely drew me in. The narrator’s voice feels authentic and emotional, it honestly felt like I was having a conversation with a friend. As I listened, I found myself reflecting deeply on what it means to never fully belong somewhere, even in the country you were born and raised in.

I truly admire how the personal story is woven with broader historical and contemporary contexts, offering insights into identity, migration, and inequality. It is an honest and educational narrative, where the pain caused by stereotypes and racism is laid bare, but so is the courage and determination to find a sense of belonging.

I found the parts about family and academic expectations especially moving. The way the model minority myth is unpacked really encouraged me to question deep-rooted assumptions, both my own and society’s.

The narration brings the story to life beautifully. The pacing is thoughtful, the tone warm and expressive, making it an engaging experience from start to finish. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to better understand what it is like to live between cultures and challenge preconceived ideas.

It was one of the most impactful listens I have had this year. Sincere, informative, and moving. I finished feeling a sense of connection and hope, almost like a quiet call for empathy and action.

This book provides tremendous insight into the experience of being a person of Chinese origin in the wider world. An experience that Daisy Hung is more than averagely qualified to guide people through, since her identity includes being born in Canada, raised in the US, and becoming a UK citizen after being born to Hong Kong Chinese parents!

What her story tells us is, the pervasiveness of racism and stereotypes when it comes to dealing with diaspora Chinese people even today, remains disturbingly widespread. The racist characterization of COVID-19 as the Chinese or Asian sickness has made such attitudes even harder to bear.

This is a timely, intelligent piece of work, ably conveyed in Katie Leung's narration. The somewhat dry statistical information interrupted the reading experience, hence half a star deducted.Worth checking out to understand these issues better through an individual's stories, this gets 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this in-depth look at the experience of British Asian people and the wider East Asian diaspora in Britain. It’s not a topic I had read much about prior, so I felt like I learned a lot. I liked how most of this learning was through personal storytelling which made it engaging and relatable.
It’s evident that little has changed across the board in terms of racial intolerance in the UK, the vitriol we now see in extreme right wing rhetoric is parroted from decades and even centuries ago, spurred on by scapegoating during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

It was a very informative audiobook, Katie Leung is an excellent narrator and I really enjoyed listening to a Scottish narrator for the first time!
I was pleased to receive this as an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio, HQ, the author and NetGalley for an ALC in return for an honest review

The term Diaspora refers to a group of people who have spread or have been dispersed from their original homeland to other parts of the world. It’s often used to describe communities who maintain a connection—emotional, cultural, familial, or historical—to their country of origin, even if they live elsewhere.

Daisy J Hung was born in Canada to parents of Hong Kong descent, she was then raised in the United States before ultimately settling in the UK. Here she explores how she has navigated having multiple cultural identities and the challenges of being perceived as an outsider, even in places she calls home.

'I am not a tourist' is an emotionally resonant text that captures the quiet ache of diasporic identity. It’s about the universal human desire to be seen, understood, and claimed by a place we want to call home, delivered with remarkable grace and sincerity.

A better choice for the narrator of this book could not have been made. Katie Leung has the most beautiful, soothing, soft Scottish accent, which adds a lyrical quality to her narration. Her accent does not detract from the text at all. If anything it reaffirms the book’s theme: how your voice, your face, your presence can make you feel foreign—even in the places that are supposed to be home.

Why only 4 stars? I hear you say. Unfortunately I had to drop 1 star for the parts of the book where facts and figures are quoted. Statistics about tourism, immigration and geopolitics felt out of place to me, after such a personal, introspective beginning. But this was such a small qualm it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book. If I could give 4½ stars I would! I strongly recommend this book to everyone, not just those who identify with Hung's experiences.

#IAmNotaTourist #NetGalley

I learned a lot about the British Chinese experience and Hung's insight in having experienced a much wider community as a Chinese American was a useful comparison at times although it also seemed to cloud her narrative at times.

Having grown up in the UK where the Chinese community is much smaller than in the US, I don't think we ever learned about the history of British Chinese and many of the stereotypes portrayed in popular culture are clearly reflections of the American Chinese experience and therefore not comparable. One really big part of the British Chinese discussion which I felt would have been interesting to focus more on is the experience of Hong Kong nationals. My assumption is that Hung did not want to focus too heavily on this as it was not her personal experience.

This is just a must read/listen I learnt so much from this. To my shame I had never even thought about this type of racism and learning about the enquiries which were just dismissed was eye opening. I couldnt listen to this is one session as it was so disturbing but I am so glad I read it.

Interesting story by Daisy Hung. I enjoyed the way she told her story out. I would love to listen more about it. East cozy read.

An immaculately researched, honestly written look into the British Chinese experience, I am so grateful to Hung for writing this book and sharing the diverse and marginalized voices and stories within.

I could hear Hung’s anger and passion come across in her conversational style and it was so refreshing to hear someone call out the behaviour, policies, and politics so candidly and in such a well articulated way!

Practically, as an immigrant myself, there were a few sections that, while validating, stirred up some stuff for me. Expect to feel a wide range of emotions while reading, but don’t look away. This book is incredibly important, especially in the current global political climate. It feels hopeless at times, but each section closes with a glimmer of hope.

The focus of the book was predominantly on England and Wales, and I found myself hoping to hear from the British Chinese community in Scotland. Especially as our narrator was Scottish.

Speaking of, Leung’s narration was very well done and I enjoyed listening to this audio format. Though, the reams of statistics rattled off and the inclusion of acronyms were sometimes difficult to follow in the audiobook format.