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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
I’m not sure how to rate this book since I don’t want to negatively rate someone else’s story so I’m not going to.
That being said, I was very conflicted as I read because I feel like I liked the story but not the telling of it, if that makes sense. There was a lot of description for things that seemed inconsequential but less detail on things I was interested in hearing about (and that I thought would be discussed more based on the description).
That being said, I was very conflicted as I read because I feel like I liked the story but not the telling of it, if that makes sense. There was a lot of description for things that seemed inconsequential but less detail on things I was interested in hearing about (and that I thought would be discussed more based on the description).
I jumped at reading My Side of the River because I like learning about the experiences of others. I am a white American who has lived a very different life from Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez and her family.
Gutierrez is young and I think there is an inheritant struggle to write a memoir when you haven't even lived half your life yet. The timeline of My Side of the River follows big life events, but what I think would have been more powerful of a read would have been to expand on the nuances in the middle. Though compelling, and quite frankly made me sick to my stomach, this memoir felt disconnected. Like I was being told what happened versus being shown what happened.
Still a powerful story that needs to be told and I'm happy to have read it. I look forward to reading more from Gutierrez in the future.
Thank you SMP for the gifted copy to review.
Gutierrez is young and I think there is an inheritant struggle to write a memoir when you haven't even lived half your life yet. The timeline of My Side of the River follows big life events, but what I think would have been more powerful of a read would have been to expand on the nuances in the middle. Though compelling, and quite frankly made me sick to my stomach, this memoir felt disconnected. Like I was being told what happened versus being shown what happened.
Still a powerful story that needs to be told and I'm happy to have read it. I look forward to reading more from Gutierrez in the future.
Thank you SMP for the gifted copy to review.
Elizabeth’s story was moving and inspirational. I admired her commitment to her family, dreams, and activism. I thought the writing was generally pretty good because Elizabeth has a strong voice and chooses words well. However, her bragging tone was a little much for me at times, so I didn’t LOVE her and I wasn’t DYING to get back to this story every day. Also, her elitism with colleges lost her an entire star in my book because no.
What a beautiful, heart-wrenching memoir! I wish all the people running out to read Hillbilly Elegy would pick this up instead (or at least also) to learn about the immigration issues in the US and put a faces to the border crisis. I found this book to be so readable. An easy story to digest and picture and I found myself literally cheering and crying for Elizabeth and her family. There is sadness but there is importance. A must-read.
I really enjoyed reading Elizabeth's perspective of being a child of Mexican immigrants and the different challenges they faced. This book was engaging, informative and I really appreciated learning about a lived experience I'm not as familiar with.
love a good “no clue who this person is” memoir but idk gang, this one has sentences that made my chest feel tight
Elizabeth grew up in the United States as a U.S. citizen but her parents were not. They were in the country on work visas, and not always legal to be there. Her parents pushed her to meet her full potential and always be the best she could be.
This book shows her struggles as a 1st generation citizen as she strives to make a better life for her family while returning to her roots to keep the family together.
This was an excellent portrayal of the immigrant struggles for a better life.
#NetGalley #MySideoftheRiver #ElizabethCamarilloGutierrez
This book shows her struggles as a 1st generation citizen as she strives to make a better life for her family while returning to her roots to keep the family together.
This was an excellent portrayal of the immigrant struggles for a better life.
#NetGalley #MySideoftheRiver #ElizabethCamarilloGutierrez
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
It was okay. A good story about being an immigrant in the Us
challenging
informative
fast-paced
Memoir of being 15 years old and parents forced back to Mexico due to immigration policies and trying to stay afloat on her own. Tenacity and grit. Not sure how anyone could know of stories like this one and not feel that there are deep issues with immigration policies.