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A review by calarco
I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds by Sunny Hostin
4.0
I make no secret of the fact that I low-key love The View and all of its infamous pandemonium; I also like the concept of people with different viewpoints dissecting the headlines at one table. Considering how polarizing politics can be, I really enjoy this setup; even if I do not always agree with the direction or outcomes of conversations, I can generally appreciate that they at least happen.
And in this mix, we have my absolute favorite co-host, Sunny Hostin, a former-prosecutor turned ABC legal correspondent. She is typically the one voice of reason who will always fact-check the others and keep the conversations intellectually honest; she is essentially the legitimizing presence of the crew now that Barbara Walters is retired. She also has pet chickens, which considering everything else is just brilliant. When she came out with her book, [b:I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds|49629805|I Am These Truths A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds|Sunny Hostin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597105415l/49629805._SY75_.jpg|68659540], I couldn't not pick up a copy.
Her life growing up in different parts of Manhattan and the Bronx were incredibly relatable, especially as my own friends and family are from some of these areas. More so, her experiences growing up as a bi-racial Puerto Rican African American are incredibly relatable for anyone with hyphenated heritage. People never quite know how to categorize her, and society’s tendency to box people in as one thing is a very real nuisance.
There was one account that I found the most relatable. This was when Sunny went out for some innocent day-drinking (aka: “lunch”) with the journalist Don Lemon, The View’s executive producer Candi, and her fellow co-host Ana Navarro. Candi, a black woman, admits that she struggled to accept Sunny as a fellow black woman, and Ana, a Latina, also admits that she struggled to see Sunny as a fellow Latina. And Sunny is just sitting there trying to take it all in, but mostly just drink in peace, and it’s as hilarious as it is depressing. Only the gay and black Don Lemmon seems to be able to understand her discomfort of existing between two worlds.
Now this struck a cord, because similar incident has happened to me (and I suspect most biracial folks). Once, when I was at an English-speaking pub in Japan, my perceived racial identity actually caused a similar awkward argument. Me and a group of friends were talking about social politics, and the topic of my ethnicity somehow came up. I am a Peruvian-Italian-American and racially identify as a Latina (or a mestiza) because I simply was not treated like a “white” person, or even knew that was an identity option for me until I got to college. I would never deny my white or light skinned privilege, but I was especially determined to have my identity respected because I had just flown to Peru a couple months prior for my abuelo’s funeral (which is not a fun trip from Japan; those 48 hours of travel were the most brutal of my entire life).
Now unlike Sunny, my one friend of color kept insisting I was Latina, and my white friends kept insisting I was white. A part of me wanted to be flattered that at least they were each somewhat trying to include me in their own perceived racial in-groups, but mostly I just remember being so annoyed no one would actually listen to me. It was so ridiculous; I left to get a drink at the bar, came back to our table ten minutes later, and they were still arguing about "what" I was. So, when Sunny vents about her frustration about this type of absurdity, and never really feeling like she belongs, I cannot help but shout, “Amen!” In her own words:
“Still, when I encounter such sentiments from blacks and Latinos alike, even from friends, I feel odd. I believe people with mixed ancestry are the embodiment of the American dream, reflecting the tapestry that has enriched this country. My mingled bloodlines should make boundaries and borders disappear. But too often my very existence makes people uncomfortable… What do you do when your authentic self is dissected and debated by others who want to deny the dualities that have always made up this country?”
Sunny also does not shy away from how her lighter skin has allotted her privileges that she would not have had otherwise. Colorism is an interesting exploration, especially from her perspective. She is ever aware of social boundaries and power structures, so even though I would not characterize her as a “leftist” as the media likes to think, Sunny’s legal analyses are always rooted in this fundamental life outlook, and as a result, on The View panel she offers some truly nuanced, occasionally progressive, views.
One of my favorite segments she covered on The View was on the college admission bribery scandal that hit in 2019. Wealthy parents had paid thousands to have their children admitted to prestigious universities, and people were understandably pissed off. Sunny famously asked, “How mediocre do you have to be to game a system that is already disproportionately in your favor?” That really annoyed the conservative panelists with famous fathers, but rang so true to so many from working class backgrounds.
Overall, my only complaint about this book would be that each of her accounts do feel a bit overly curated at times, but I still feel a genuine openness shines through. There is a lot that was interesting about her time working in the media, and plenty of “tea” for anyone interested in that sort of material. Overall, this was a fun read, and I definitely recommend it if you are a fan.
And in this mix, we have my absolute favorite co-host, Sunny Hostin, a former-prosecutor turned ABC legal correspondent. She is typically the one voice of reason who will always fact-check the others and keep the conversations intellectually honest; she is essentially the legitimizing presence of the crew now that Barbara Walters is retired. She also has pet chickens, which considering everything else is just brilliant. When she came out with her book, [b:I Am These Truths: A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds|49629805|I Am These Truths A Memoir of Identity, Justice, and Living Between Worlds|Sunny Hostin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1597105415l/49629805._SY75_.jpg|68659540], I couldn't not pick up a copy.
Her life growing up in different parts of Manhattan and the Bronx were incredibly relatable, especially as my own friends and family are from some of these areas. More so, her experiences growing up as a bi-racial Puerto Rican African American are incredibly relatable for anyone with hyphenated heritage. People never quite know how to categorize her, and society’s tendency to box people in as one thing is a very real nuisance.
There was one account that I found the most relatable. This was when Sunny went out for some innocent day-drinking (aka: “lunch”) with the journalist Don Lemon, The View’s executive producer Candi, and her fellow co-host Ana Navarro. Candi, a black woman, admits that she struggled to accept Sunny as a fellow black woman, and Ana, a Latina, also admits that she struggled to see Sunny as a fellow Latina. And Sunny is just sitting there trying to take it all in, but mostly just drink in peace, and it’s as hilarious as it is depressing. Only the gay and black Don Lemmon seems to be able to understand her discomfort of existing between two worlds.
Now this struck a cord, because similar incident has happened to me (and I suspect most biracial folks). Once, when I was at an English-speaking pub in Japan, my perceived racial identity actually caused a similar awkward argument. Me and a group of friends were talking about social politics, and the topic of my ethnicity somehow came up. I am a Peruvian-Italian-American and racially identify as a Latina (or a mestiza) because I simply was not treated like a “white” person, or even knew that was an identity option for me until I got to college. I would never deny my white or light skinned privilege, but I was especially determined to have my identity respected because I had just flown to Peru a couple months prior for my abuelo’s funeral (which is not a fun trip from Japan; those 48 hours of travel were the most brutal of my entire life).
Now unlike Sunny, my one friend of color kept insisting I was Latina, and my white friends kept insisting I was white. A part of me wanted to be flattered that at least they were each somewhat trying to include me in their own perceived racial in-groups, but mostly I just remember being so annoyed no one would actually listen to me. It was so ridiculous; I left to get a drink at the bar, came back to our table ten minutes later, and they were still arguing about "what" I was. So, when Sunny vents about her frustration about this type of absurdity, and never really feeling like she belongs, I cannot help but shout, “Amen!” In her own words:
“Still, when I encounter such sentiments from blacks and Latinos alike, even from friends, I feel odd. I believe people with mixed ancestry are the embodiment of the American dream, reflecting the tapestry that has enriched this country. My mingled bloodlines should make boundaries and borders disappear. But too often my very existence makes people uncomfortable… What do you do when your authentic self is dissected and debated by others who want to deny the dualities that have always made up this country?”
Sunny also does not shy away from how her lighter skin has allotted her privileges that she would not have had otherwise. Colorism is an interesting exploration, especially from her perspective. She is ever aware of social boundaries and power structures, so even though I would not characterize her as a “leftist” as the media likes to think, Sunny’s legal analyses are always rooted in this fundamental life outlook, and as a result, on The View panel she offers some truly nuanced, occasionally progressive, views.
One of my favorite segments she covered on The View was on the college admission bribery scandal that hit in 2019. Wealthy parents had paid thousands to have their children admitted to prestigious universities, and people were understandably pissed off. Sunny famously asked, “How mediocre do you have to be to game a system that is already disproportionately in your favor?” That really annoyed the conservative panelists with famous fathers, but rang so true to so many from working class backgrounds.
Overall, my only complaint about this book would be that each of her accounts do feel a bit overly curated at times, but I still feel a genuine openness shines through. There is a lot that was interesting about her time working in the media, and plenty of “tea” for anyone interested in that sort of material. Overall, this was a fun read, and I definitely recommend it if you are a fan.