Reviews - My Side of the River

362 reviews for:

My Side of the River

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

3.91 AVERAGE

jacket_sg's review against another edition

5.0

emotional informative reflective

wolfe_abby's review

4.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Elizabeth Camfarillo Gutierrez memoir "My Side of the River" is a poignant and compelling story that sheds light on the challenges faced by the U.S.-born children of Mexican immigrants. Her experiences of family fighting, parental separations, and being shuffled from couch to couch during hight school all began when her parents' visas were expired and forced them to return to Mexico. Having always been told "you have to be the best" since she was in Kindergarten, Elizabeth worked hard to excel in school so that she could one day get a great job and provide for her family. She also was responsible for raising her brother once she graduated college a responsibility she was not sure she would be able to handle.

I loved hearing her story and imaging how hard it must have been for her parents to let her go alone to pursue their families dream.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin;s Press for the ARC

emilyacgm's review

3.0

This immigrant coming-of-age novel is fine--nothing bad, nothing exciting or new (to me). A good introduction to the immigrant experience if people haven't read much about this experience.

birdiesbookbindings's review against another edition

4.75

My Side of the River by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez is a powerful and deeply personal memoir about family, identity, and the reality of growing up between two worlds. She shares her experience as the U.S.-born daughter of Mexican immigrants, navigating life in Arizona after her parents are forced to return to Mexico. One of the most fascinating parts of the book is how she explores the "Whisper Network"—the way undocumented workers rely on word-of-mouth to find jobs—and how social media has become our generation’s version of that same underground network.

One small criticism is the inconsistency with Spanish in the book—sometimes there’s a translation, sometimes there isn’t, which can be a little jarring. But overall, Gutierrez’s story is gripping, honest, and an important look at the struggles and resilience of immigrant families. Definitely worth a read.

nstinch54's review

5.0

** I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. **

Publication date: Feb 2024

What a timely story to read on the cusp of (another) Trump administration focused on deporting immigrants who have come to America hoping for a better life. While I'm hesitant for people in their 20's to write a memoir (because just how much life has someone lived to be able to write a book about it), Elizabeth's story of her upbringing as the oldest child of two (undocumented) Mexican immigrants was so insightful to read. I cannot imagine what she went through as a 15-year old trying to survive on her own in the US because her parents visas to come back to the US were denied. Being separated from her parents and younger brother and having to couch surf with people who were basically strangers, all so that she could stay in America for her education and then hopefully one day be able to help provide for family.

Her story of her life post-Penn graduation seems a little elitist at times. But I'm happy for her and that she was able to use her money working on Wall Street to help her family. I just really imagined her going into a different sector to be more about helping humankind (like her starting a club in high school to help the planet). Being in the banking industry just feels very much like being "a cog in the big machine."

PS I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. HIGHLY recommend the audio version.