Brown Enough: True Stories About Love, Violence, the Student Loan Crisis, Race, Familia, and Making It in America

In his debut memoir, actor (Call Me Kat) and podcaster (Brown Enough) Rivas bares his soul and speaks truth to power in this poignant exploration of being a Brown person—whether Latinx, Hispanic, or anyone who is perceived to be between white or Black—in today’s America. Rivas remembers how his Dominican father and Colombian mother did everything they could to launch their children successfully into the white world. Although they were native Spanish speakers, they spoke only English in their house, leaving Rivas an English-speaking Latino who never felt that he was Hispanic enough. In Hollywood, Rivas was described as “ethnically ambiguous,” a description that didn’t fit but also allowed him to play a variety of roles. Narrating his own story, Rivas describes the obstacles that a person with his ancestry faces, such as exclusion from discussions about race or encouragement to physically seem more ethnically ambiguous. Rivas’s talent in acting and storytelling is clear; it enables him to engage with listeners and share his heart-wrenching nadirs, as well as his uplifting joys and successes.