Scan barcode
A review by nickscoby
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education by Jennine Capó Crucet
4.0
Using Chekhov's Gun
There's an old saying often (misattributed to Shakespeare) that writers should never show a gun in the first act that isn't fired by the final act. Or something like that. In other words, don't bother giving a detail or introducing a theme unless you plan to do something with it later. Otherwise, you are just navel gazing and being kind of a show off.
Crucet takes this advice to heart making these collection of essays feel like parts of a greater whole. She introduces herself as a first-generation college student right at the beginning. Describing what is was like for her family to come (and stay) with her throughout new student orientation although at Cornell from Florida. And from there she moves on to other themes that on first pass may seem only tangentially related, but close readers will see that the author's identity as "first-gen" (to college and to the US) drives everything that comes afterwards. Crucet writes in the tradition of Laura Rendon who acknowledges both the blessings and the curses of being first in the family to go to college (unlike Richard Rodriguez who only writes about the burdens). And yet, as the author confesses, many things come with a price. (Paying a price is another theme that comes up later, unexpectedly and heartbreakingly). She is not quite sure if she made the right decision to attend Cornell instead of taking the "free ride" at the University of Florida. She leaves that to the reader to decide.
It's a tough call, but I think my favorite section is "Say I Do," especially when she discusses the nuances of wedding DJs in Miami. It was reminiscent of a Richard Blanco's storytelling (he's also name checked here!) and just downright hilarious. I think the people next to me on the plane thought I was crazy.
There's tons more I can say, but I will let other folks discover them. I can't wait to read more from this writer.
There's an old saying often (misattributed to Shakespeare) that writers should never show a gun in the first act that isn't fired by the final act. Or something like that. In other words, don't bother giving a detail or introducing a theme unless you plan to do something with it later. Otherwise, you are just navel gazing and being kind of a show off.
Crucet takes this advice to heart making these collection of essays feel like parts of a greater whole. She introduces herself as a first-generation college student right at the beginning. Describing what is was like for her family to come (and stay) with her throughout new student orientation although at Cornell from Florida. And from there she moves on to other themes that on first pass may seem only tangentially related, but close readers will see that the author's identity as "first-gen" (to college and to the US) drives everything that comes afterwards. Crucet writes in the tradition of Laura Rendon who acknowledges both the blessings and the curses of being first in the family to go to college (unlike Richard Rodriguez who only writes about the burdens). And yet, as the author confesses, many things come with a price. (Paying a price is another theme that comes up later, unexpectedly and heartbreakingly). She is not quite sure if she made the right decision to attend Cornell instead of taking the "free ride" at the University of Florida. She leaves that to the reader to decide.
It's a tough call, but I think my favorite section is "Say I Do," especially when she discusses the nuances of wedding DJs in Miami. It was reminiscent of a Richard Blanco's storytelling (he's also name checked here!) and just downright hilarious. I think the people next to me on the plane thought I was crazy.
There's tons more I can say, but I will let other folks discover them. I can't wait to read more from this writer.