A review by joana3865
My Side of the River by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez

emotional medium-paced

4.75

 

This is the kind of book I know I’ll carry with me throughout my life — a book I truly connected with, especially as I struggle to find myself in an academic world that my family has never been part of and most likely never will be. 

When the author talked about living in a trailer, I saw so many similarities to my own story. It made me remember and dig up old photos of my 7th birthday, celebrated in a cramped trailer filled with laughter and happiness. And when the author mentioned her parents cleaning the movie theater, it hit home — I don’t even know how or when, but my parents woke my brother and me up at 2 a.m. to clean a restaurant. I’d scrub sinks, take out the trash, then come home around 6 a.m., crash, wake up, and go to school.

 

It’s moments like these that make me admire my parents’ resilience, and I try to tap into that strength whenever imposter syndrome hits — and boy, does it hit hard. I love that even though the author and I have never met and probably never will, our stories share similarities. We’re connected through the resilience of our communities and parents, who hold onto the same dreams and hopes.