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

4.0

My Side of the River follows the childhood and young adulthood of Elizabeth Camarillo Guitierrez as she navigates life in the United States as the daughter of immigrants. At age 15, her parents are forced to make the difficult decision to return to Mexico, prompting young Elizabeth to make a difficult choice of her own: to remain in the US in order to finish her education and go to college.

Elizabeth’s story is filled with resilience and pain; she has a clear goal to “be the best” but has to figure out how to make that happen as a kid essentially living on her own. By the end of the memoir, I felt a sense of pride in Elizabeth after reading all the challenges she endured and overcame.

As a memoir, I did feel like this lacked just a bit. She jumps around from one big event to the next, and doesn’t always go into the emotions behind what happened. I also prefer memoirs to have a bit more reflection, which just might not be possible for someone who is still so young and still figuring things out. All that aside, I can think of many kids I’ve taught over the years who would benefit from reading this book - I know they would feel seen in Elizabeth’s story, and that is something truly important.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile memoir and I’m excited to see what Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez does with her life! Clearly, it will be something great.