Description:
González reveals the painful and humorous moments that shaped his life and offers a nuanced understanding of the Latinx experience in the United States. Through a blend of elegant and sardonic prose
Brief description: Christopher González was born and raised on the flatlands of the Llano Estacado, straddling the border of Texas and New Mexico. He received his PhD in English from The Ohio State University and is the author, co-author, and editor of many books including the International Latino Book Award-winning Reel Latinxs: Representation in U.S. Film & TV. He is a professor and holds the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Endowed Chair in the Department of English at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
Review Quotes:
"Every time I read a back-cover blurb recommending a book as a must, I think of Oscar Wilde, who said that 'it is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.' You don't have to read Christopher González's Big Scary Brown Guy; but if and when you do, you will realize how much it has determined you. That's because American manhood is in crisis, and Latino men all the more so. González will make you realize the fundamental conversation Latino men have yet to have with Oscar 'Zeta' Acosta, Cesar Chavez, John Rechy, and Oscar Hijuelos, all writers you have to read. Fortunately, he dives into the task head and heart first, although you'll realize he never actually mentions any of those prophetic ancestors; instead, he talks about lots of others, mostly in his own entourage. His voice is unique, at once humble, courageous, and enviably self-assured. Bypass this memoir at your own peril-and ours."
-Ilan Stavans, author of On Borrowed Words: A Memoir of Language and editor of The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature