A really beautiful memoir exploring many scopes of identity, family, personal relationships, and relationships with yourself. Gonsalez's writing guides you along different moments in his life and connects you with his thoughts and feelings in tender and vulnerable way I have yet to encounter in many memoirs.

It was a little difficult for me to get into this book, but once I did it was well worth it. It was such an interesting literary take on a traditional memoir, and I found myself drawn in by the many Pedros.

Pedro’s Theory is a memoir that weaves the lived experience of Marcos Gonsalez—a Puerto Rican/Mexican boy who is queer, fat, and poor—with the theory of the American Dream. Gonsalez analyzes his life as well as the multitudes of “Pedros” he’s known and observed.

As someone who reads a lot of memoirs, this is not like any memoir I’ve ever read. It is not formulaic. I felt like the reader goes through the exploration of trauma of growing up in the United States alongside Gonsalez. The analysis of the cultural landscape of his youth was both academically rigorous and moving.

I would say that, at times, the writing was a bit disjointed and didn't flow perfectly. I eventually got to where the author was trying to lead the reader, but it was confusing at points. Overall, I found the writing very personable even when the content became more theory focused/analytical.

I would recommend this one if you like:
📖Memoirs
🇲🇽Cultural analysis
📝Academic writing paired with lived experience

CW: Homophobia, Xenophobia, loss of a sibling

Well-written, well-paced and empowering; Gonsalez's memoir manages to balance the emotional moments and thus be all the more memorable and relatable.