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A review by sarakomo
The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Julie Schwietert Collazo, Rosayra Pablo Cruz
4.0
2020: This is an incredible #ownvoices account of a mother whose children were separated from her when she crossed the border into the United States from Mexico. This is the book you should be reading instead of American Dirt.
In case you missed it in 2018, for about two months worth of time, the Trump Administration separated children from their families once they arrived on the US side of the border. This was meant to deter future immigrants from attempting to cross the border. The Administration did not make a plan for how to reunite these families, and, as of this review, there are still 545 children that have NOT been reunited. AN ATROCITY AND A HORRIBLE STAIN ON AMERICAN HISTORY.
Rosayra Pablo Cruz was one of these mothers who crossed the border during this time. She had no knowledge of the new system, and had started her journey before the new policy was in place. If she had arrived at the border just ten days before she did, her children would not have been separated from her. This book is essential reading if you want to understand how policies like this can destroy people's lives and futures.
I listened to an interview with the two authors, and co-author Julie Schwietert Collazo voiced that the original book proposal was meant to be an account of Immigrant Families Together, the non-profit that she founded and runs. Her work is admirable and inspiring, and I wish there was more about it in the book. It provides a valuable insight into how the bond and legal system works in the US. However, I totally respect and appreciate her centering of Pablo Cruz in the story, as she deserves to be.
A small warning: Pablo Cruz is a woman of strong faith, and some of her passages can get very heavily religious. This did not detract from the story at all, but it is a very strong presence throughout the book.
I wish her and her family nothing but the absolute best, and I for one, am proud that she is well on her way to become a fellow American citizen.
"Aprendà caminando" I learned by walking
In case you missed it in 2018, for about two months worth of time, the Trump Administration separated children from their families once they arrived on the US side of the border. This was meant to deter future immigrants from attempting to cross the border. The Administration did not make a plan for how to reunite these families, and, as of this review, there are still 545 children that have NOT been reunited. AN ATROCITY AND A HORRIBLE STAIN ON AMERICAN HISTORY.
Rosayra Pablo Cruz was one of these mothers who crossed the border during this time. She had no knowledge of the new system, and had started her journey before the new policy was in place. If she had arrived at the border just ten days before she did, her children would not have been separated from her. This book is essential reading if you want to understand how policies like this can destroy people's lives and futures.
I listened to an interview with the two authors, and co-author Julie Schwietert Collazo voiced that the original book proposal was meant to be an account of Immigrant Families Together, the non-profit that she founded and runs. Her work is admirable and inspiring, and I wish there was more about it in the book. It provides a valuable insight into how the bond and legal system works in the US. However, I totally respect and appreciate her centering of Pablo Cruz in the story, as she deserves to be.
A small warning: Pablo Cruz is a woman of strong faith, and some of her passages can get very heavily religious. This did not detract from the story at all, but it is a very strong presence throughout the book.
I wish her and her family nothing but the absolute best, and I for one, am proud that she is well on her way to become a fellow American citizen.
"Aprendà caminando" I learned by walking