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scaffidi's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book. The first part, which is the bulk of the memoir, tells the story of a refugee who escaped from Guatemala and was separated from her sons at the border. The second part describes the activism and community organizing of a woman in NYC who raised bond for Rosy and other detained moms. Rosy’s story is so powerful, and hearing how someone was able to help was refreshing for me, as I constantly feel helpless in the hellscape that is present day America. Highly recommend!
whatnicolesreading's review against another edition
5.0
The Book of Rosy is an unforgettable memoir about a mother who has to make the unimaginable decision to leave Guatemala, her home, and make the journey to the US to seek asylum. It details the events that lead to the decision to leave, the dangerous journey to the US along with the inhumane conditions her family faces once they’ve arrived at the border.
I promise you, it won’t take long to be fully immersed in Rosy’s journey. This memoir is brutally honest and vulnerable. I’m not sure how one could read this and not have empathy for what Rosy went through and for what many are still going through. You can feel the helplessness and fear in Rosy’s words but the most beautiful thing is that it was her faith and strength that always shined through most.
In Part II of this memoir, we hear from Julie Schwietert Collazo who is the founder of Immigrant Families Together, an organization aimed at helping mothers reunite with their children after being separated at the border. I’ll admit the change in POV caught me off guard but I really enjoyed hearing about how IFT started and how Julie and Rosy’s stories collide.
Here’s my short and to the point review of this book: Please add this to your TBR. Read it, review it, tell your friends. These #ownvoices stories on immigration need to be shared and heard.
P.S. Highly suggest listening to this one!
I promise you, it won’t take long to be fully immersed in Rosy’s journey. This memoir is brutally honest and vulnerable. I’m not sure how one could read this and not have empathy for what Rosy went through and for what many are still going through. You can feel the helplessness and fear in Rosy’s words but the most beautiful thing is that it was her faith and strength that always shined through most.
In Part II of this memoir, we hear from Julie Schwietert Collazo who is the founder of Immigrant Families Together, an organization aimed at helping mothers reunite with their children after being separated at the border. I’ll admit the change in POV caught me off guard but I really enjoyed hearing about how IFT started and how Julie and Rosy’s stories collide.
Here’s my short and to the point review of this book: Please add this to your TBR. Read it, review it, tell your friends. These #ownvoices stories on immigration need to be shared and heard.
P.S. Highly suggest listening to this one!
literarygadd's review against another edition
5.0
Painful and heart-wrenching, this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the difficult lives Guatemalans face in their home country that force them to make the trek and cross over to the United States. Rosy’s personal account of the trials she faced in Guatemala, her journey to United States, her time in a ICE detention center, her forced separation from her children, continued detainment, and more, is beautifully written yet difficult to read. The story is so well thought-out and outlined in such a way that creates a well-rounded and complete picture. This is an inspirational must-read about hope and faith, determination in the face of extreme opposition, and the amazing community that has rallied around these women and families who have suffered from “zero-tolerance” policies.
NetGalley gave me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
NetGalley gave me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
saraekaner's review against another edition
4.0
Incredibly powerful story of one mom’s journey to escape Guatemala and seek asylum in America. The writing is very digestible, and this book left me wanting to get involved in supporting folks looking to migrate to the US
gissellereads's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: Read NOW!
My Thoughts:
The book is divided into two sections, Rosy’s story and Julie’s efforts in creating a non-profit (Immigrant families together) which is how she met Rosy and helped her reunite with her sons. I wanted more of Rosy’s side of the story but it was fascinating to learn about all that Julie does with her non-profit.
I think it is so important for us to read these #ownvoices experiences with immigration. In this book you get to see the difficult decision Rosy had to make in hopes for a better life for her family and the struggles immigrants face in the journey. I felt lots of emotions while reading this book!
This was my book club’s pick last month and we had a great discussion. We were lucky to have the opportunity to virtually chat with the authors. We discussed their writing process, what they are up to now, and the work of Immigrant families together. I’m grateful for Rosayra and Julie for sharing their story with the world.
My Thoughts:
The book is divided into two sections, Rosy’s story and Julie’s efforts in creating a non-profit (Immigrant families together) which is how she met Rosy and helped her reunite with her sons. I wanted more of Rosy’s side of the story but it was fascinating to learn about all that Julie does with her non-profit.
I think it is so important for us to read these #ownvoices experiences with immigration. In this book you get to see the difficult decision Rosy had to make in hopes for a better life for her family and the struggles immigrants face in the journey. I felt lots of emotions while reading this book!
This was my book club’s pick last month and we had a great discussion. We were lucky to have the opportunity to virtually chat with the authors. We discussed their writing process, what they are up to now, and the work of Immigrant families together. I’m grateful for Rosayra and Julie for sharing their story with the world.
cscott1115's review against another edition
5.0
I wish all nonfiction was this readable. I’ve been wanting to read an #ownvoices account of the current immigration experience and this saddened, captivated, and educated me.
clp412's review against another edition
5.0
The first hand account of a woman's journey to cross into the United States is so powerful. As a reader I felt so torn for her because what she left in Guatemala was unimaginable and the challenge she faced in the United States were unimaginable too (including the separation of her children). She was living in two worlds with two very different challenges. Julie's (the co-authors) perspective was so informative as to how her group was able to support women across the country and their reasons for raising the money to help strangers.
One of the biggest frustrations I felt for Rosy (and there were many) was when she was seeking asylum, the judge kept asking her about the police report in Guatemala. In all of the impossibleness of the situation she only had a few visible scars but the judge failed to take into account her mental state and how unsafe she must have been to leave other children behind. Her lack of control of the corruption of the police in Guatemala seemed to be all the judge wanted and that was so unfair.
The only negative of this book was that the timeline wasn't chronological and at times it was a bit confusing to follow which author was writing. I think a bit of a introduction or preface to share Julie's role in supporting Rosy while writing or vice versa would have been helpful to the reader.
This book is also a very good book for any reader that is not well versed in the immigrant challenges and reasons people may leave a country. It is also a reminder that life is still very hard once immigrants arrive to the United States. I appreciated this eye opening and raw account of Rosy's story and the harrowing support Julie (and many others) are able to provide.
Thank you to the Book Club Cookbook Galley Match program and Harper One publishing for an ARC of this book for everyone in my bookclub! What a powerful and important discussion we had!
One of the biggest frustrations I felt for Rosy (and there were many) was when she was seeking asylum, the judge kept asking her about the police report in Guatemala. In all of the impossibleness of the situation she only had a few visible scars but the judge failed to take into account her mental state and how unsafe she must have been to leave other children behind. Her lack of control of the corruption of the police in Guatemala seemed to be all the judge wanted and that was so unfair.
The only negative of this book was that the timeline wasn't chronological and at times it was a bit confusing to follow which author was writing. I think a bit of a introduction or preface to share Julie's role in supporting Rosy while writing or vice versa would have been helpful to the reader.
This book is also a very good book for any reader that is not well versed in the immigrant challenges and reasons people may leave a country. It is also a reminder that life is still very hard once immigrants arrive to the United States. I appreciated this eye opening and raw account of Rosy's story and the harrowing support Julie (and many others) are able to provide.
Thank you to the Book Club Cookbook Galley Match program and Harper One publishing for an ARC of this book for everyone in my bookclub! What a powerful and important discussion we had!
rosie_valadez's review against another edition
4.0
I love how Rosayra opened up about her struggles growing up in Guatemala, how she dealt with the loss of her husband, losing hope. She really opened up about how bad the crime rate is in Guatemala, and the restrictions it offered. When she was also able to give a very detailed description of when she was shot, for example. A description that I was not expecting, but only added the situation dire for why she needed to leave the country.
When she made the decision to cross the border she decided on taking her two sons Yordy and Fernando. And as a reader you're wondering why them? Why take her sons, and not her daughters? Or at the very least her youngest daughter Britney? And the way she wrote this section she interacted with the reader, repeating the same questions that you were thinking. It made it real. She then goes to say that someone who has never lived with fear, and constant threats of violence, her decision seems impossible to understand. At times her writing style seemed blunt, when she was interacting with the reader, for example, but it didn’t take away from the reading. In fact it added a level of depth that made it real. That time was really of the essence, to come up with a plan, on protecting her family. And I loved how it panned out.
From the start there were quite a few one liners that really stuck with me and I can’t help but relate. I only wish we would have gotten more of an insight on the other two families that Julie helped the day that Rosayra made bail, Floridalma, and Lilian’s point of view. They were mentioned a couple of times but there was no closure for those two families. Adding their experiences would have also given a closer look at the treatment immigrants face, behind closed doors. I can only assume the final verdict was that her request for asylum went through and she was able to stay in the states with Fernando and Yordy, but I’d rather not assume and hope that the final copy gives that much needed update. Given that the verdict was postponed due to a clerical error. It’s just one thing after another for her, hit after hit, but she never gave up hope for wanting to start a better life for her and her family.
When she made the decision to cross the border she decided on taking her two sons Yordy and Fernando. And as a reader you're wondering why them? Why take her sons, and not her daughters? Or at the very least her youngest daughter Britney? And the way she wrote this section she interacted with the reader, repeating the same questions that you were thinking. It made it real. She then goes to say that someone who has never lived with fear, and constant threats of violence, her decision seems impossible to understand. At times her writing style seemed blunt, when she was interacting with the reader, for example, but it didn’t take away from the reading. In fact it added a level of depth that made it real. That time was really of the essence, to come up with a plan, on protecting her family. And I loved how it panned out.
From the start there were quite a few one liners that really stuck with me and I can’t help but relate. I only wish we would have gotten more of an insight on the other two families that Julie helped the day that Rosayra made bail, Floridalma, and Lilian’s point of view. They were mentioned a couple of times but there was no closure for those two families. Adding their experiences would have also given a closer look at the treatment immigrants face, behind closed doors. I can only assume the final verdict was that her request for asylum went through and she was able to stay in the states with Fernando and Yordy, but I’d rather not assume and hope that the final copy gives that much needed update. Given that the verdict was postponed due to a clerical error. It’s just one thing after another for her, hit after hit, but she never gave up hope for wanting to start a better life for her and her family.
lindzt18's review against another edition
5.0
Must read for a personal account of a mother’s separation from her children at the border and rebuilding her life in America, and the important work of volunteers to support mothers like Rosy.
girlmama_and_books's review against another edition
5.0
“Among the many things that people don't understand about migration is this: No one wants to leave the people they love. Most people don't want to leave the land where they were born, or the soil where their umbilical cord was buried. If they believed that staying would ensure survival, they would never set off on such a treacherous journey.”
Incredible story of a woman seeking asylum in the United States and her horrifying and inhumane experience, along with a glimpse of the policies that are in place.
This is a powerful and heartbreaking narrative... and everyone should be adding this to their reading lists. I’m not
Incredible story of a woman seeking asylum in the United States and her horrifying and inhumane experience, along with a glimpse of the policies that are in place.
This is a powerful and heartbreaking narrative... and everyone should be adding this to their reading lists. I’m not