I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook!! In Brown Enough, Christopher Rivas shares his experiences as a BIPOC person in America. As a Dominican American, Rivas offered a perspective we don’t often see. Rivas shared his lived experiences of being in a “cultured body” in a country that doesn’t always see him for his true authentic self was very deep. I really appreciated learning about his experiences & how they have impacted his life. This one is a must read for sure!!!

Special thanks to Christopher Rivas, Row House (OrangeSky Audio) for the opportunity to listen to this early access edition.

This was a phenomenal book that made me feel so many emotions, ranging from laughter to sadness to feelings of joy. Christopher Rivas does a wonderful job intertwining his personal life experiences with that of so many other Latino families. There were moments where the sadness I felt for him was also a sadness I felt for myself. Primarily because Rivas has come to terms with his own struggles, something I know many of us in his same position wish we could also do.

This book was also very educational as well. I learned so much about culture through this book that it led me to continue doing research on my end.

This is a book I would definitely recommend to others.

Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for advanced access to the audiobook of Brown Enough by Christopher Rivas in exchange for an honest review.

CW: racism, colorism, violence, police brutality, death, murder, see growing list on StoryGraph.

Christopher Rivas shares stories of his personal experiences being a brown person of mixed heritage in a country rife with systemic racism, in a career where he is labeled "ethnically ambiguous".

This is a fantastic intersectional exploration of brownness in America. It serves as part-memoir, part cultural competence nonfiction and was a wonderful read. I loved Rivas' use of the term "cultured body" to describe anyone who lives in a body that is not white, European, thin, heterosexual, cis-gendered, and able-bodied. This term serves to encompass all those who suffer at the hands of systemic racism, classism, and oppression. Rivas courageously and vulnerably shares personal insights and experiences of being taught to hate his own body in this culture. This is a beautiful and important book, and one in a long list of fantastic books that offer own-voices insight that everyone should be listening to.

book review

Brown Enough - Christopher Rivas

blurb: At a time when disinformation, hate crimes, inequality, racial injustice, and white supremacy are on the rise, Brown Enough, part memoir and part social commentary, emerges, asking readers to proudly put their bodies, their identities, into the conversations of race. Brown Enough is a roller coaster of finding one's true self while simultaneously having a racial awakening amidst the struggle to be "perfectly" Latinx, woke, and as Brown as possible to make it in today's America.

Brown Enough is the very impressive biography of actor, author and podcaster Christopher Rivas. As you know by now, I refrain from rating non-fiction works but if I did, this would get 5 stars from me.

It's shocking, engaging, eye-opening and, in my opinion, much needed. I listened to the audiobook which I can highly recommend since it's read by the author himself.

If you want to know what to expect, I'll leave you with a moment that was very vital in the life of the author:

""All I hear is black and white. As a Brown man, a Latin man, where does that leave me?" Coates took a short breath and responded, "Not in it.""

Brown Enough makes you think, really think, about the world in regard to race and about your own behaviour. Pub date is the 11th of October.

Thank you so much @netgalley and @rowhouse for this ARC!

He went there! He really did!

Ok before I get into the review, this is a discourse on race from the brown perspective which is sorely lacking from the overall discussion because for many they have the privilege of opting out that black people don’t have.

The authors delves into the why. Why Hispanics view themselves more as European descent then Afro. From Trujillo, to majora la rasa, to the many levels of whiteness or non brown/blackness in Latin America, to the obsession with Columbus, to the secret nose tool, too bleaching. He.went.there. And while doing so gave me insight into a conflict between 2 Dominicana coworkers, both different hues of black but that could not stand each other.

Some parts were jaw dropping, others I was in tears. I’d never heard of the author or his viral letter but I’m happy I got this advance audio copy to review from the publisher. Get this when it’s released October 11th. Should be required reading.

Brown Enough, narrated by author Christopher Rivas, is a well-balanced commentary on the BIPOC experience illustrated through the captivating stories of the individual. The stories chosen to comprise the book seem carefully curated and are delivered in a way an old friend would tell them. The harsh realities or our society are softened by the author’s perspective, while the seriousness of the problems facing our society remains clear.

The audiobook is easy to follow, well paced and aligns with the content of the book. At times, I increased the speed of the narration, but that is my personal listening preference. The words were brought to life by Rivas, as he effortlessly spoke them exactly as they were intended. Delivery definitely positively impacted my experience of Brown Enough. Pauses were well placed and added to the meaning, as were increases in volume throughout the delivery. The topics addressed throughout the book are heavy and I found myself mentally preparing for the weight of it all each time I got back to the story. While listening to Rivas’ words, I became very aware of the impact my actions have on other people, society, and the world.

I would recommend Brown Enough to anyone who feels the impact of brownness in their daily life, or who exists in a world where color definitely matters. Special thanks to NetGalley and Row House by Orange Sky Audio for sending this book for recommendation. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4951657149

Normally I don't rate the memoirs I read; however, since this is more than that I felt somewhat more comfortable in doing so. Christopher Rivas is a wonderful writer and he evoked many emotions in me throughout listening to the audiobook version of "Brown Enough."

The one critique I have is that the beginning of the book felt disjointed and directionless. Once I kept going though, the more the stories packed a punch for me.

Christopher gives readers different facts, recounts different stories of his own and others, while also relaying how important it is for our society to pay attention and speak up regarding racism, and all that encompasses. Impassive activism just won't, and isn't, cutting it.

I specifically enjoyed learning about his thought processes revolving around his romantic relationships and how they made him feel in regards to his identity. I love that he narrated this himself and that he was unapologetic in his beliefs and how he chooses to speak up when many won't. It's important for all of us, especially in America, to hear these voices and to take what is being said and let it sit in our hearts.

A book I never knew I needed. Thank you Christopher Rivas for your insight. I have done a lot of reading from minority authors in the recent years but this one hit me differently for me, someone who has brownness in her family/ancestors and has experienced a different perspective but is also unequivocally white. It was wonderful to hear his perspective and it really resonated with me. I've learned a lot from his story telling and his explanations of his experience. I think it would be helpful for anyone to read this - especially those people who are looking to diversify the content they consume. I love how he explores the different but same struggles that many other minority groups also experience but while keeping the lenses on his cultural experience. Read this book!

Listened to the audiobook of Brown Enough, narrated by the author Christopher Rivas. I have to say Christopher Rivas is a phenomenal storyteller, it was enthralling it was like listening to a friend and it was refreshing. Brown Enough is full of facts, facts that we are currently having to live with and we are not alone, I think that's the biggest lesson I got from the book if we all spoke our truth about our concerns relating to student loans, climate change, and race; then we can come together to make some real change.
While I'm thankful for Christopher Rivas vulnerability and I'm rooting for his sessions in his therapy, I feel like there was more that was left unsaid. Maybe that's for him to examine, but I thought maybe his mother's input, as he has said she's a "white-passing" Latina would have been the sprinkle or that Sazón needed to find out more of why he had dated white women.
I hope we hear more from Christopher Rivas, I think he can really help in uplifting the community because he has the passion and the vision to ask questions and analyze the answers and do something about it. His heart was shared with us and the connection was made, that is so powerful and I hope he knows that. He is our Renaissance Man.

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced
4.75

When I requested to listen to this book I will not lie I was just looking for something to past the time. I assumed I would be listening to a shallow but interesting enough narration of basic struggles of latiné in America.
The issue I ran into however was that I noticed there were no reviews yet… anywhere. Not on StoryGraph, good reads or even Amazon (at the time). I panicked a little bit with the realization that I placed myself in the position to be the very first and possibly only (for a while) review for a book that was completely out of my comfort zone being both audio and nonfiction 🙃. I immediately panicked and started looking Rivas up “What if he says something awful and I miss it because I’m not paying attention and I rate it high and then people come back and say he’s evil??” “What if this man is a literal crazy person?? like Andrew Tate level crazy???”
Anyway after begging my Tiktok followers/friends to read the book first and review it (no one took the bait) I started listening.
What started as a filler and then became a scary chore ended up being one of the most important books I’ll read possibly ever?
The feeling of belonging and understanding this book gave me is not what I expected.
I’m 3rd generation Puerto Rican and my entire family lived in the Bronx before half of us migrated down to Florida when I was a kid and I do not know how to describe this book without including the fact that it had me sitting on my couch at 7:30 am one morning crying about the fact that I can still remember almost 20 years later crying in a Dominican salon in NYC because I had “bad” hair while my sister’s? Oh hers was great. Smooth and barely requiring any heat. Straight. Good hair.
This book brought forward experiences I knew others had of course, but sometimes you need a stranger to force you into a mini existential crisis before you have your morning coffee.
All this to say that Rivas exceeded my expectations. This book was insightful, tear inducing, funny, and felt as if someone had brought up all the questions that lived in my head (ones I didn’t even know I had) and provided pretty complete answers.
In regards to narration it’s obvious Rivas is an entertainer. Listening was just as engaging if not more than reading a physical copy of the book and I definitely recommend giving it a listen. As someone who usually listens to books on 1.5x speed I enjoyed listening to Rivas and actually switched back to 1x to enjoy the smooth cadence of his voice.
The only thing I disliked was that at some points I did feel like certain quotes were added unnecessarily. While they pertained to the story I just could’ve done without them.

The content in this book was insightful. I learned a lot from Christopher Rivas's words and will take these lessons with me into everyday life. I recommend listening to the audiobook. The way Christopher read the words created a rhythmic, almost poetic feeling. This rhythmic style allowed me to feel what he was saying and really let it sit with me. The structure of the book was really great as well. It wasn't broken out by official chapters. If you weren't watching the screen, you couldn't really tell when you were going into the next section. I enjoyed that about the book. It felt like one chapter flowed into the next so effortlessly like you were actively in a conversation with Christopher, learning about his life.

Thank you for this book and the content you shared with the world!

Thank you, Christopher Rivas for sharing your stories, your lessons. I absolutely loved and appreciated the audio version of Brown Enough: True Stories About Love, Violence the Student Loan Crisis, Hollywood, Race, Familia and Making it in America.
This honest and insightful collection follows Rivas’ journey from Queens, NY to Hollywood. What really resonated with me were the references to spaces; the spaces we find ourselves in, the spaces that shape us, the spaces we seek.
Aside from his phenomenal storytelling, Rivas shared many messages that need to be heard, one of which was: “…doing the emotional labor and work is f*cking exhausting and it isn’t mine to do alone. The burden of change has been placed on the ones who have needed others to change for far too long. Not anymore. I want ease, rest, support, and softness. I want my people to do less work. I want a white 4th grade in New England to also begin to do the work with me. I don’t think that is a crazy request. This is how we begin to change things from the very beginning. It must begin early. We must rewrite the narrative of what it means to be accountable and step up early for others”. Yes, absolutely.
I also appreciated Rivas’ candid acknowledgements, I felt this one entirely; “I can deeply want things to change and at the same time be complacent in the actions that keep things the way they are”. A necessary reminder of the power we hold in our actions, I keep coming back to this in my own life..and this is just one line from the book! I’ve been left repeating and contemplating many of the thoughts shared in these pages.
I gravitate towards non-fiction and memoirs, but Brown Enough was so much more than a memoir. I think Rivas shares valuable insight for many Americans; how we can acknowledge, celebrate, do better by and for Brown lives.
Thank you also to Net Galley and OrangeSky for the advanced reader audio!

Brown Enough: True Stories About Love, Violence, The Student Loan Crisis, Race, Familia, and Making It in America by Christopher Rivas

Narrator: Christopher Rivas
Listening Time: 7 Hours, 5 Minutes, 48 Seconds
Publisher: Row House by OrangeSky Audio
Release Date: October 11, 2022

Nonfiction (Adult), Biographies, Memoirs, Hispanic American, Latino, Multicultural, BIPOC

This is an emotional account from a Dominican American. He discusses going to a lecture where the presenter was discussing the issues between Blacks and Whites. When he asked the presenter where he fits it, the presenter said, you are not included. He discusses how capitalism affects BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color).

The author discusses his life in a natural style. He expresses his emotions, especially about the death of Elijah McClain’s death, and how his student debt affects his parents. This is a touching book and should be shared with anyone who cares about others.

ABSOLUTELY a must read.. should be required learning in school.. the grit the honesty his story was an eye opener and highlights the work that isnstil required in equality and how within the community therea atill prejudices so insightful so moving this one will stick with me for sometime...