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zinelib's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
This is a memoir by a high-achieving Mexican-American woman who was separated from her parents and brother when she was a teenager because her parents were denied visas to stay in the US.
I listened to the audiobook, read appealingly by the author, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez. She is in her twenties, so the youth in her voice makes plain the reality that her story is one of a child, coming up largely on her own and later, just out of college, taking responsibility for her younger brother as she tries to launch her career.
Gutierrez was born in the US to parents in the country on a tourist visa. They thought the could renew the visa...and were mistaken. After years of pushing their daughter to be the best in her American education, they wanted her to join them in Mexico, but Gutierrez was too invested in her and her parents first dream--to build a life in America. She takes extreme measures to return to the states, going to high school on her own. She stays with a family that doesn't provide her basic needs, but eventually, after her growling stomach tattles on her hunger, she is awakened to resources for kids growing up on their own.
Hers is a story of pain and resilience, resilience and pain, gratitude, frustration, and generosity. Gutierrez is a hard worker with natural gifts. Her success against crushing odds makes you wonder how many kids with lesser talent and drive don't get through similar challenges.
I listened to the audiobook, read appealingly by the author, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez. She is in her twenties, so the youth in her voice makes plain the reality that her story is one of a child, coming up largely on her own and later, just out of college, taking responsibility for her younger brother as she tries to launch her career.
Gutierrez was born in the US to parents in the country on a tourist visa. They thought the could renew the visa...and were mistaken. After years of pushing their daughter to be the best in her American education, they wanted her to join them in Mexico, but Gutierrez was too invested in her and her parents first dream--to build a life in America. She takes extreme measures to return to the states, going to high school on her own. She stays with a family that doesn't provide her basic needs, but eventually, after her growling stomach tattles on her hunger, she is awakened to resources for kids growing up on their own.
Hers is a story of pain and resilience, resilience and pain, gratitude, frustration, and generosity. Gutierrez is a hard worker with natural gifts. Her success against crushing odds makes you wonder how many kids with lesser talent and drive don't get through similar challenges.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder
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