A review by cemarci
Brown Enough: True Stories About Love, Violence, the Student Loan Crisis, Hollywood, Race, Familia, and Making It in America by Christopher Rivas

Did not finish book. Stopped at 28%.
DNF 31% through, page 67 on kindle. Not bad just not for me. I thought this book would be more memoir. It definitely has some of the author’s story but IMO this book has a very preachy/grandstandy and seems more so like it was written for the white gaze (or someone who has not considered the brown perspective). While I agree with a lot of what the author says (preaching to the choir! I too am brown and have had many similar experiences), the writing comes across as a lecture. In some ways it focus more on the lecture side (how life should be) than the authors experience and emotional reflection, in a way that I think takes away from the memoir. I think an author who IMO balances well between personal experience/history/teaching and emotional reflection is Myriam Gurba (e.g., Creep). This book is VERY different in tone. For me, Brown Enough is more preachy/teachy than memoir. Originally tried to read for a book club but I’d rather read Gurba’s first memoir, Mean. And I don’t intend to say only 1 Latinx voice can prevail, I just don’t want to finish Brown Enough.