Andrea Navedo, the Bronx-born-and-raised Puerto Rican American actress, is out to inspire young people, particularly Latinx readers who, like her, have faced adversity and still managed to succeed. Best known for her role of Xiomara, the mother in The CW's series Jane the Virgin, Navedo has written Our Otherness is Our Strength: Wisdom from the Boogie Down Bronx (Broadleaf, July).
The title was inspired by the nickname for her home borough because the idea for writing it came to her after she gave a commencement address to her high school, DeWitt Clinton High School, and includes lessons and experiences from her Bronx upbringing. Through heartfelt reflections, confessions, and hard-earned lessons, Navedo offers a message of empowerment and self-actualization. "I've always been an open book, so it wasn't too difficult for me to be vulnerable in the book,” she said in an interview with PW. “I wanted to show people that they're not alone in their struggles, and that it's okay to be imperfect."
Throughout her career, Navedo has embraced her role as an advocate for those on the fringes of society. In her book, she imparts wisdom gained from surviving traumatic and abusive relationships, dealing with repeated rejection, and triumphing in the entertainment industry. Her book emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's circumstances and not playing the victim.
“You can either be a victim or you can decide to go, 'I'm gonna take 100% responsibility for every circumstance, situation, and thing that has happened to you and will happen to you in your life,'” she said. “And then from that point, you take that responsibility. You stop blaming the government. You stop blaming your race, you stop blaming your parents. You stop blaming whatever the situation is. You just have to decide to take action.”
For Navedo, making a career shift from an actress to an author was a huge step. Her favorite part of the writing process was delving into her childhood memories. While writing was hard, it was also a healing journey that made her appreciate her two children, ages 16 and 19, more deeply. "It helped me understand what they're going through and why they do the things they do,” she said. “It also made me more empathetic and understanding."
Her theme is for her readers to embrace their uniqueness, overcome obstacles, and harness their otherness as a source of strength. They can learn to see their "ghetto" experiences—their struggles and differences—are the very sources of strength and self-actualization. "I want this to be a reminder to everyone that you're not alone,” she said. “We all have our struggles, but we can get through them together," she said.
