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Karamo: My Story of Embracing Purpose, Healing, and Hope by Karamo Brown
5 reviews
pacifickat's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
2.25
This memoire is also a self help book, which is my least favorite genre. I don't even like home décor that tries to tell me what to do in saccharine yet judgy tones (Live, Laugh, Love, Dream, Smile, Believe, Think Happy, Good Vibes Only...). So, this was not the book for me.
It also seems like Karamo believes he's manifested a lot of his success by putting the right vibes out in the universe, but it seems more like he's very pushy in many cases and sometimes bowls others over in pursuit of his dreams. He can be charismatic, charming, and driven. This combination can come off as bullying, manipulative, and disingenuous. There was a whole section about his partner, Ian, not wanting to get married and being very clear from the start, and Karamo saying Ian had to be the one to take their relationship to that next step. Then the next beat, Karamo plans this humongous public birthday party for Ian where he proposes in front of all their family and friends, and he's nervous because he's not sure Ian will say yes. It just seemed super manipulative! I would have been super mad and confused in Ian's shoes. The behavior looks like love, but is it? It might really be self serving.
Furthermore, Karamo also often describes situations and past conversations in ways that seem hugely implausible and are meant to cast him in the best possible light. I'm sure you said all those perfect things in that moment of tension, buddy. Suuuuure.
It's not all bad though, and I do admire some of his life choices and experiences. I even thought we had similar experiences with having church purity culture teachings pushed far too early, leading to huge discomfort and anxiety with being negatively sexualized when I was too young to sort through the messaging and my own feelings.
All in all, I was a bit bored. Karamo is a talker, and often in a rambling sort of way. The beginning and end moved along, but the middle dragged. Also, the events of his life being told out of order, jumping from one thing back to another and then forward again, is repetitive at best and confusing at worst. It made me wonder when and how he had attained his social work training, how long it was between his treatment for domestic abuse and meeting Ian or being on Queer Eye, and what the overlap between his social work practice and his drug abuse/domestic abuse episodes had actually been.
As a fan of the Fab 5, I would strongly recommend Jonathan Van Ness' memoire over this one. To me it felt less preachy, more genuine, and better structured as a narrative.
It also seems like Karamo believes he's manifested a lot of his success by putting the right vibes out in the universe, but it seems more like he's very pushy in many cases and sometimes bowls others over in pursuit of his dreams. He can be charismatic, charming, and driven. This combination can come off as bullying, manipulative, and disingenuous. There was a whole section about
Furthermore, Karamo also often describes situations and past conversations in ways that seem hugely implausible and are meant to cast him in the best possible light. I'm sure you said all those perfect things in that moment of tension, buddy. Suuuuure.
It's not all bad though, and I do admire some of his life choices and experiences. I even thought we had similar experiences with having church purity culture teachings pushed far too early, leading to huge discomfort and anxiety with being negatively sexualized when I was too young to sort through the messaging and my own feelings.
All in all, I was a bit bored. Karamo is a talker, and often in a rambling sort of way. The beginning and end moved along, but the middle dragged. Also, the events of his life being told out of order, jumping from one thing back to another and then forward again, is repetitive at best and confusing at worst. It made me wonder when and how
As a fan of the Fab 5, I would strongly recommend Jonathan Van Ness' memoire over this one. To me it felt less preachy, more genuine, and better structured as a narrative.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Violence
Colorism, manipulationbuttermellow's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Misogyny
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
You are not your past. You have prepared for your future. A yes can propel you, but a no will never hurt you.
As a fan of Netflix's Queer Eye, naturally I was excited to pick up Karamo's memoir as he and the "culture" aspect of the makeovers is one of the show's highlights for me. Although I do appreciate how candid he was with telling his story, I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. At times it came off as preachy, condescending and left me feeling that he has a bit of a savior complex with a substantial dash of self-righteousness (which was baffling to me considering how empathetic and sincere he comes across on screen). Some examples of this behavior include:
- Karamo's high school best friend Stephanie becoming pregnant with his child Jason and secretly raising him as a single mother until Karamo was made aware of him when he was 10 years old. Karamo got to attend college and thrive academically while Stephanie "was only able to get her GED." (Yes, that is a direct quote and incredibly insensitive in my opinion).
- Karamo discusses in detail how he became addicted to various drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy during his twenties but frowning down upon others who were addicted to seemingly "worse" drugs. Make it make sense.
- Karamo stating that he was the reason why his kids broke the generational curse of fathering a child at 16. "I'm proud to report that Jason didn't lose his virginity until he was twenty years old to a girl he loved." I'm sure Karamo asked for Jason's blessing before publishing that sentence, but my goodness is that deeply personal and unnecessary to include.
I was pretty bummed that I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would, but I definitely do recommend the audiobook as it's narrated by Karamo himself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt
leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition
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: Addiction and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Other TW/CW: colorism, gay slurs, corporal punishment, verbal abuse, mental illnessolivialandryxo'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: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Drugs mentioned include marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine.