Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'
Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope by Karamo Brown
2 reviews
leahlovesloslibros's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
Karamo Brown is the culture expert on Netflix's revival of Queer Eye [formerly Queer Eye for the Straight Guy].
This memoir showcases all of Karamo - both his past and his present - and how he personifies culture by saying "I am culture." As a boy, Karamo grew up knowing he was different both culturally and in his sexual orientation. In some ways he embraced these differences; in others, he was made to feel ashamed. During adolescence, the relationship he had with his father became strained, and has still not been repaired to this day.
Before his time on Queer Eye, Karamo was no stranger to the limelight. In his early- to mid-twenties, he appeared on MTV's The Real World, where he got his first dose of stardom. Sadly, that time in his life was clouded with poor judgment and bad decisions. All that changed when he found out he had a child he didn't know about. He turned his life around to be a great Dad and got back into social work, an area in which he really excelled due to his passionate nature and ability to help people become the best version of themselves. Through a series of fortunate events, he was able to land a coveted position on the reboot of Queer Eye, alongside castmates Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness. He uses his background in psychotherapy and social work to help enrich the lives of the heroes on their show.
This memoir showcases all of Karamo - both his past and his present - and how he personifies culture by saying "I am culture." As a boy, Karamo grew up knowing he was different both culturally and in his sexual orientation. In some ways he embraced these differences; in others, he was made to feel ashamed. During adolescence, the relationship he had with his father became strained, and has still not been repaired to this day.
Before his time on Queer Eye, Karamo was no stranger to the limelight. In his early- to mid-twenties, he appeared on MTV's The Real World, where he got his first dose of stardom. Sadly, that time in his life was clouded with poor judgment and bad decisions. All that changed when he found out he had a child he didn't know about. He turned his life around to be a great Dad and got back into social work, an area in which he really excelled due to his passionate nature and ability to help people become the best version of themselves. Through a series of fortunate events, he was able to land a coveted position on the reboot of Queer Eye, alongside castmates Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Jonathan Van Ness. He uses his background in psychotherapy and social work to help enrich the lives of the heroes on their show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Addiction
Moderate: Racial slurs, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Cancer
Other TW/CW: colorism, gay slurs, corporal punishment, verbal abuse, mental illnessplumpaperbacks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
I wasn’t planning on reading Karamo’s memoir, but after being pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed both Tan’s and Jonathan’s, I decided to give it a go. I listened to most of Karamo as an audiobook and read a few chapters as an ebook when I was unable to use my earbuds. I liked the audiobook; the author’s narration definitely helped boost my enjoyment.
I will say that I didn’t enjoy this as much as Tan’s or Jonathan’s books, but it was still good and I’m glad I picked it up. It’s a nonlinear timeline of his life, with each chapter focusing on a different event or theme and his emotions and experiences surrounding it. It’s about personal growth, owning up to your mistakes, healing and forgiving yourself. There are a lot of relevant discussions in this book, and I think almost anyone would be able to take something away from this, should they read it.
I especially enjoyed the engagement party scene, as it was really sweet. Karamo getting his kids involved was so wholesome. I also really liked the final chapter, as it talked about his audition to be on Queer Eye and meeting the other members of the Fab Five. I remember enjoying the Queer Eye chapters in Tan’s and Jonathan’s memoirs, so of course I liked Karamo’s version too. It was quite funny to me when he admitted to having a crush on one of the other four at first sight, although maybe that was just because of the way he narrated. And the way the Fab Five became instant friends and knew they’d keep in touch after the auditions, even if they didn’t get the roles? I love to see it. They really do have a great dynamic.
I got a bit off-topic there, but anyway. I don’t think I’ll reread Karamo or buy my own copy, but I definitely recommend it to fans of the Netflix show.
I will say that I didn’t enjoy this as much as Tan’s or Jonathan’s books, but it was still good and I’m glad I picked it up. It’s a nonlinear timeline of his life, with each chapter focusing on a different event or theme and his emotions and experiences surrounding it. It’s about personal growth, owning up to your mistakes, healing and forgiving yourself. There are a lot of relevant discussions in this book, and I think almost anyone would be able to take something away from this, should they read it.
I especially enjoyed the engagement party scene, as it was really sweet. Karamo getting his kids involved was so wholesome. I also really liked the final chapter, as it talked about his audition to be on Queer Eye and meeting the other members of the Fab Five. I remember enjoying the Queer Eye chapters in Tan’s and Jonathan’s memoirs, so of course I liked Karamo’s version too. It was quite funny to me when he admitted to having a crush on one of the other four at first sight, although maybe that was just because of the way he narrated. And the way the Fab Five became instant friends and knew they’d keep in touch after the auditions, even if they didn’t get the roles? I love to see it. They really do have a great dynamic.
I got a bit off-topic there, but anyway. I don’t think I’ll reread Karamo or buy my own copy, but I definitely recommend it to fans of the Netflix show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Drugs mentioned include marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine.
More...