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defunctfridge's review against another edition
5.0
Very powerful piece of writing. Even with all the coverage immigration policies get it’s very difficult to truly understand their effect and this book really aided that. This book is full of the struggle of immigrants but also the joys and all the people who are trying to make that joy more frequent and just how much humans have to stick together and help one another.
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.
bookwormess's review against another edition
It was super sad. I wasn’t in the mood.
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