A review by juliajjshields
My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education by Jennine Capó Crucet

I loved this!! So funny, clever & insightful. This was narrated by the author and I loved how lively she recounted her stories.  

While there were various sections, the following two stood out. Capo Crucet had some hot takes on Disney and the fantasies they feed us, while also exploring her relationship to & understanding of nature being through a Disney lens since in Miami, there weren’t really parks or greenery to play in. When someone said park, she thought Disney. I found this super fascinating & thought she touched on the ways capitalism can present itself as a solution to inequities that shouldn’t be there in the first place. I also absolutely loved the author’s description of white people weddings. I actually laughed out loud multiple times. 

I appreciated learning more about Cuban history, culture & about Miami. How Cubans in Miami as Capo Crucet puts it, are white. They’re the majority population and it doesn’t cross their minds to think it to be different anywhere else. She also discusses her privilege as a light skin Latina & how that’s impacted her. Wonderful insight as well on being a university professor who was a first gen college student both at predominantly white institutions. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this audiobook. I’d recommend it to anyone! Short, sweet & impactful. Her story telling was strong & I look forward to reading her novels in the future. 

• “Our fantasies aren’t fantasies if given to us and not imagined by us”
• To white people regarding difficult topics: “Are you not yet uncomfortable because, despite this being about your people, you don’t think it’s about your people because as a white person, you’ve gotten to be just you your whole life?” OOF