Review: Music to My Years

A Mixtape Memoir of Growing Up and Standing Up 

by Cristela Alonzo

In this memoir full of humor and heart, comedian, writer, and producer Cristela Alonzo shares personal stories of growing up as a first-generation Mexican-American in Texas and following her dreams to pursue a career in comedy.

When Cristela Alonzo and her family lived as squatters in an abandoned diner, they only had two luxuries: a television and a radio, which became her pop cultural touchstone and a guiding light.

Cristela shares her experiences and struggles of being a first-generation American, her dreams of becoming a comedian, and how it feels to be a creator in a world that often minimizes people of color and women. Her stories range from the ridiculous—like the time she made her own tap shoes out of bottle caps or how the theme song of The Golden Girls landed her in the principal’s office—to the sobering moments, like how she turned to stand-up comedy to grieve the heartbreaking loss of her mother and how, years later, she’s committed to giving back to the community that helped make her.

Each significant moment of the book relates to a song, and the resulting playlist is deeply moving, resonant, and unforgettable. Music to My Years will make you laugh, cry, and even inspire you to make a playlist of your own.

Goodreads

My thoughts: I love Cristela! I love watching her stand-up comedy and I enjoyed her show, Cristela. When I heard she had a book on NPR, I immediately bought it. I adored this book! I really enjoyed the concept of it: a memoir told through music. Each chapter was dedicated to a song, a music artist, or a theme song from a TV show or movie. It was interesting to read how Cristela connected each title of the song to specific parts of her life. Cristela was honest and unapologetic. 

Though her upbringing was different than mine, I could not help but relate to her. Growing up poor, not being able to afford simple things, finding alternatives to reach one's dreams, having a super strict mother, not being able to go out, TV being the center of the family, and the issues of immigration rang true to me. I cried a few times reading about Cristela's experiences because they sounded too similar to mine. And I loved her music choices as well because I too grew up with the same kind of music. 

Her takes on politics was also ringing home for me. My husband and I read this right before election day and we could not help but keep nodding to Cristela's thoughts and facts. Her chapter on citizenship was the hardest for us to read because my hubby and I both experienced the same things: I was a Mexican immigrant and he a Romanian immigrant. That chapter was full of hope and dreams; I absolutely loved it!

Overall, I loved this book more than I thought I would. Cristela was funny yet honest. My heart was very warm reading this book. I am so glad that I jumped on the chance to buy it! I rate it: