Nimrods is part-poetry, part-memoir escaping the confines of identity and tradition. In a fast-paced, globetrotting fashion, shy topics such as patriarchy, imperialism, and masculinity are brought to the forefront. The author of this punk rock memoir is Kawika Guillermo, or formally Christopher B. Patterson. He is an associate professor in the Social Justice Institute at the University of British Columbia. He is an award-winning author and has written many short stories. His stories can be found in The Cimarron Review, Drunken Boat, Word Riot, The Hawai’i Pacific Review, Smokelong Quarterly, and elsewhere.
Guillermo lays it all out for readers to see and tells it how it was between him and his father – rocky. He contrasts that to being a father figure to his own firstborn son – not yet solidified. Guillermo’s father grew up in a tight-knit religious family where he enjoyed an American dream. Guillermo on the other hand reflects that he did not grow up with the same honors. He is the opposite of his father in many ways such as coming out bisexual later in life, being a minority, and growing up in a dysfunctional household. Guillermo presents his father as an absent one, but not as a diabolical villain, yet this complex relationship is inherently important as to being a father figure to his own son.
Manhood and masculinity look different for Guillermo and his father. Being a mixed-race person, Guillermo reflects his differences in contrast to his father who is also known as “baby blue” or “the father” while Guillermo faces microaggressions of his identity. The contrasting of identity runs throughout the memoir. Guillermo finds common ground through celebrities like androgynous post-punk revival star Karen O and grungy punk Billy Joe, latter being influential in the book title, but also nimrods being a popular insult said by his father. In a society where Guillermo did not quite fit the mold, such as in institutions like Christian churches and in academia, he paves way to what ought to be the future of lived experience in a new generation.
He does not stay stagnant. Guillermo moved a lot in his youth from Portland, Texas, and to Tennessee, but he does not stop there. He moves around from South Korea, China, and Canada. His world is constantly changing, never staying in one place for too long. Guillermo transcends muddy waters and is like clashing tidal waves that transforms. He carries vast understanding, and this is a way to cope with his life. It is how he learned to survive. In a society where people want to single you out in heteronormativity, Guillermo acts against the waves, constantly adjusting to his new ways of living and adapting. Perhaps his identity and blended background propelled him as well as helped him adjust accordingly.
This memoir brings forth an exhibition of queer expression and fluidity of mixed race in modern life. It redefines what is authentically American and normalized through anti-establishment idealism. This memoir brings forth a new light into intergenerational trauma to mental health from contemporary punk music influence, mixed-race, queer perspective. Guillermo unpacks topics on being mixed-race, bisexual, mental illness, patriarchy, and intergenerational trauma. Guillermo has immense understanding that his father struggled with addiction, mental illness, and suicidal ideation, but does not forget any shortcomings.
