Some books entertain us. Some inform us. And every once in a while, a book helps us understand ourselves.
Jordan Calhoun’s memoir, Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture, was one of those books for me.
That’s why I was especially excited to welcome Jordan to Something Genuine for a conversation that explores many of the themes at the heart of his memoir: identity, representation, race, religion, shame, belonging, and the role stories play in helping us make sense of ourselves and the world around us.
Jordan is an accomplished journalist and editor whose work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, Kotaku, and Men’s Health. But our conversation centers on something more personal: the experiences that shaped him and the memoir that emerged from them.
Throughout the discussion, Jordan reflects on growing up as a Black child navigating predominantly white spaces, wrestling with questions of representation in media, and finding pieces of himself in characters who weren’t always explicitly designed to represent him. He shares why so many fans instinctively claimed certain characters as their own and how those connections often emerged from a lack of meaningful representation elsewhere.
We also spend significant time discussing religion and Jordan’s upbringing in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. With remarkable honesty, he talks about the guilt, fear, and shame that marked much of his childhood and why he now understands many of those experiences through the lens of religious trauma. These portions of the conversation are deeply personal, sometimes difficult, and handled with care and thoughtfulness.
At the same time, this episode isn’t simply about trauma or criticism. It’s also about the power of stories. Jordan explains how anime, comics, television, and other forms of pop culture became more than entertainment—they became tools for understanding identity, imagining possibilities, and finding hope.
As Jordan notes throughout the conversation, stories matter because people matter.
Whether you’re interested in anime, media representation, memoir writing, faith, or simply thoughtful discussions about the human experience, I think you’ll find this episode rewarding.
Watch the full interview below, and if you enjoy these conversations, please subscribe to the channel and join us as Something Genuine continues exploring the stories behind the people who shape fandom, creativity, and culture.
Consider buying Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture, and follow Jordan on Instagram, Twitch, and Bksy!
