"Sadly, Asian cultures view those who openly discuss their personal challenges as inviting shame and dishonor. Yet no one is immune to emotional pain and psychological problems simply because they've been acculturated to hide it. Those who are taught to hide their pain behind a mask of everything is fine can end up feeling ashamed of their very human need to seek understanding from others and will often seek out the numbness and dissociation of addiction. Sam Louie not only understands this dynamic but offers the insights required for healing."-- Robert Weiss PhD, LCSW , author Sex Addiction 101 , Out of the Doghouse, and Prodependence "I grew up in the eighties, where Asians were portrayed as nerds and outsiders. I did everything I could to not be Asian so I could fit in, which lined me with shame and disconnection. So I chased shiny things to feel better about myself, feeding addictions and stereotypes in locker rooms to avoid feelings and fists. Sam Louie's candid memoir of addiction and recovery as an Asian-American growing up in a predominately African-American neighborhood is an important book in today's time.
It is a must read to non-Asians to understand our Asian shame and the impact it has on us, as well as for Asians to feel less alone and understand how our stories impact us. Sam's book is brave, ripping the tape off Jerry Lewis's eyes. Making us us."-- John Kim , The Angry Therapist "Sam generously and unflinchingly shares details and insights from his life that will open your heart and allow you to understand how one man discovered the hard-earned truths of what it means to live authentically. With Sam's vulnerable and courageous storytelling, we finally witness the heroic journey of an Asian-American man becoming real -- struggling through myriad personal and social challenges, stumbling forward, seeking help, receiving grace, and ultimately following intuition into service. Sam's story gifts the world with an important and vital voice of the Asian-American male experience, and I am excited that so many more will now have the opportunity to be moved by his transformational journey of self-discovery."-- Lisa Chu, M.D.
, multidisciplinary artist and SoulBodyMind life coach "In writing Passport to Shame , Sam Louie shares how growing up as the emotionally fragile and socially fraught immigrant son of Chinese parents in so many ways set him up to substitute a sex addiction for genuine intimacy while struggling with self-canceling thoughts as a broadcast journalist and a husband. Sam's commitment to lay bare his long journey towards sobriety and becoming a wounded healer is itself a testament to the often painful self-assessment that is essential to find the road to recovery and redemption."-- Rev. Dr. Ken Uyeda Fong.