A review by books_with_em
Half-Bads in White Regalia: A Memoir by Cody Caetano

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Caetano portrays the ups and downs of life among poverty, and family members with addictions and anger management issues throughout this memoir. He writes about the people in his life in a way that deeply humanizes them, enabling readers to form emotional attachments and care about these people even when they make poor decisions. There are no single bad villains in this story, but rather good people who sometimes do bad things, letting 'the buckle' get the better of them. In reflecting on the decisions his family members made and how they acted throughout his childhood, Caetano shows how humans are imperfect and flawed, but this is what makes us human.  It is not everyday we get a first-hand glimpse into what life is like for those living in poverty, what it is like growing up stealing out of necessity, jumping through all kinds of hoops to get just the bare essentials, how siblings take on parent roles, the rollercoaster of ups and downs, from stability to instability in a second. 

This memoir is rich in metaphor and imagery. The writing style is very skilled yet approachable. This book made me want to keep reading as I was never sure what events would happen next. While it was difficult at times to read through all the things the author went through in his childhood, I am glad things worked out okay in the end. I loved how the memoir concluded, with Cody, Kris and Julian reminiscing about their childhood, and how much your perspective shifts when you get older, how you may see things differently now - for the better and the worse. Overall a great debut especially in the difficult genre of memoir. I would recommend this book.