Book Review: ‘Brown Boy Nowhere’ Goes There
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Sheeryl Lim’s “Brown Boy Nowhere”
We meet Angelo after his family moves from diverse, exciting San Diego (the city in which Ms. Lim herself was raised) to Ocean Pointe, a small town in Middle America that, by its own residents’ admittance, doesn’t take well to change. The insular community’s adherence to tradition bodes poorly for the Riveras, who moved to Ocean Pointe to buy and run a burger joint named Sloppy’s Pit Stop after their Filipino restaurant in San Diego went under.
Initially, Angelo struggles to embrace his new life, and his yearning to return to his old friends and girlfriend back home is compounded by the racist bullying he faces from the ignorant football players and cheerleaders who dominate the (nearly) all-white Ocean Pointe High School. To make matters worse, Angelo has little time to practice for a street skating competition he plans to attend back in California, since his parents urge him to work long hours at Sloppy’s.
As he balances taking shifts at his family’s struggling restaurant with doing schoolwork and skating, Angelo often questions why the athletes at his school reign supreme. He soon gets to know Kirsten, an aspiring graffiti artist and ex-head cheerleader who has become persona non grata among the popular kids, and Larry, a straight-A student and tuba player in the marching band. After bonding with other students at his school who also wish to challenge the status quo, Angelo and his friends both learn and demonstrate to others that not everything in life has to be black and white. It can be brown as well, and that can be beautiful. Ocean Pointe is more open to change than Angelo previously imagined.
Sheeryl Lim
Brown Boy Nowhere is an excellent read for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, as Angelo navigates adolescence in a town where he feels (and is constantly reminded) that he doesn’t fit in. Readers will appreciate Angelo’s resilience: while the “entitled bullies” in Ocean Pointe persecute Angelo for his skin color, he consistently defends himself and his heritage with pride. Filipino readers will also find Angelo’s experience as a first-generation Filipino American to be relatable and touching. For instance, the novel is peppered with Tagalog and Taglish phrases from Angelo’s parents, but Angelo himself cannot speak the language fluently.
Angelo is met with questions about his background from his Ocean Pointe peers, some of which stem from curiosity and others from ignorance, and Angelo takes the opportunity to teach his peers about the dangers of racism when he deems it appropriate. Teenagers will be drawn to the novel’s realistic and engaging narration, as Angelo’s voice is witty and funny. Besides the themes of family values, standing up to prejudice, embracing one’s own identity, and learning to see the beauty in change, the story also features a love story that will keep romance-loving readers intrigued. Sheeryl Lim’s novel is a welcome addition to YA literature.
Ms. Lim lives in Virginia with her husband and her rescue dogs, Nollie and Roscoe. Visit her at her website www.sheeryllim.com.
Audrey Bell is a Los Angeles native and a first-year student at UCLA. She enjoys writing, baking Filipino foods, and exploring California.
