This epistolary coming-of-age memoir follows a resilient protagonist trying to make something of himself without leaving his loved ones behind. In letters addressed to his mother, Selita, Williams recounts facing overwhelming challenges while caring for his brothers, sisters, and mentally ill mother. Over the course of the two decades ending in 2014, he grows from a precocious, TV-obsessed youngster to a determined university student to an exhausted graduate, struggling to provide for his family. The format is diarylike, with letters dated over the whole 19-year period. Williams, called Manny by his family, discusses his early childhood, the hospital accident that left him with severe scarring on his face and head, the sacrifices he makes to help his mother and protect his siblings, his struggles to find a career, his love life, historical and pop culture events. Running through it all is an entertaining and heart-wrenching look at his complex, fraught mother-son relationship with Selita.
The epistolary format provides an incredibly strong sense of character, fully immersing readers in Manny’s story—his upbeat personality, his will to start a better life, and the frustration, sadness, and love in his relationship with Selita. While this lets thoughtful introspection flourish, it can keep readers somewhat distant from the events that form the emotional core of Manny’s experience. Events are mentioned, but not often narrated as scenes and sometimes not discussed for a long time after they occur, so, while Manny is a fully fleshed-out character, the supporting cast, including Selita, can feel flat by comparison.
Another of the memoir’s strengths is its ability to capture the 20-odd years between 1995 and 2014. The entries that discuss albums, basketball players, movies, and historical events (including the election of President Obama—with whom, Manny writes humorously, he shares an obsession with his BlackBerry phone) bring brightness to an occasionally disheartening tale and help immerse the reader in the time period. Not only does this book examine racism, poverty, love, loyalty, and mental illness, but it is a time capsule for the recent past. Readers will be drawn in by this equally devastating and uplifting memoir of a challenging mother-son relationship.
Takeaway: Readers will be drawn in by this equally devastating and uplifting memoir of a challenging mother-son relationship.
Great for fans of: Tobias Wolff’s This Boy’s Life, Ariel Leve’s An Abbreviated Life, Kiese Laymon’s Heavy.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Print Date: 03/29/2021