Brothers: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Race

by Nico Slate

Brothers  is Nico Slate’s poignant memoir about Peter Slate, aka XL, a Black rapper and screenwriter whose life was tragically cut short. Nico and Peter shared the same White American mother but had different fathers. Nico’s was White; Peter’s was Black. Growing up in California in the 1980s and 1990s, Nico often forgot about their racial differences until one night in March 1994 when Peter was attacked by a White man in a nightclub in Los Angeles. Nico began writing  Brothers  with the hope that investigating the attack would bring him closer to Peter. He could not understand that night, however, without grappling with the many ways race had long separated him from his brother. This is a memoir of loss—the loss of a life and the loss at the heart of our racial divide—but it is also a memoir of love. The love between Nico and Peter permeates every page of  Brothers.  This achingly beautiful memoir presents one family’s resilience on the fault lines of race in contemporary America.

248 pages, Hardcover

Published May 12, 2023

About the author

Nico Slate is Professor of History at Carnegie Mellon University.

Reviews

[Georgina]

A poignant exploration of brotherhood, race, and identity

Nico Slate's Brothers: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Race transcends family history by providing insightful reflections on racial identity and historical context.

As a college freshman classmate of Nico's, I remember him as sharp and well-read. I recall meeting Peter once at a meal in our dining hall. He had an air of intrigue with an eye patch and a darker complexion. I vaguely remember him sharing experience of attracting unwanted attention in predominantly white spaces where his white family are accepted without question, which the book explores; this resonates with a reality faced by many mixed-race individuals.

As a woman of Samoan and Mexican American heritage, I rarely consciously dwell on race in my daily life. However, I have learned that being Black in America carries a unique burden, one which all Americans have an unmet duty to address. With mixed Black nephews, I was particularly drawn to this book to gain a deeper understanding of a young mixed Black man's journey of identity.

For those like myself who aspire to write a family memoir, this book serves as an excellent model. Its narrative smooth blends personal anecdotes and analysis of how relevant concurrent are events—from the civil rights movement and fair housing act and bussing to Rodney King and OJ Simpson. Especially when considered alongside other mixed race immigrant American family history, such as Obama's Dreams From My Father, this book is an important contribution to the ongoing discussion about race and identity in America, as well as a loving tribute to a brother.

[Barbara (Bobby) Title]

A true story, a recent time frame, the setting mostly in Southern California - and a true memoir of love and loss. The brothers, Peter and Nico Slate, have the same mother but different fathers.
Peter, the older, has a black father and Nico, 7 years younger, has a white father. The boys grew up loving each other; the color didn't make a difference. As Peter moved toward adulthood he found joy in rapping, but in 1994 at a Los Angeles nightclub he was attacked, ostensibly because he was dancing with a white girl and as a result lost an eye when another dancer hit him with a broken bottle. Peter moved on with his life, accepting a black patch covering the missing eye. However, later in a tragic accident he lost his life.

The book is written by his brother Nico, now an acclaimed historian. I found the story hard (sad) and sometimes painful to read. But the love of the sons for each other and for their mother was there on every page.

I am so glad I didn't miss finding and reading this book.

[Dawn]

3.75 I'm unsure how I feel after reading this. You could definitely feel the pain the author still grapples with, even after time has passed. I grew up in this area at this time so the connection to place and time for me was strong. I was left with a few questions unanswered but overall I thought the style was good. I feel like the author was trying to make a statement about racism but didn't quite make his point.