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

4.0

(3.5 rounded up) I really enjoyed getting to read a personal account of someone who experienced the challenges and wrongdoings of the American immigration system. I definitely learned a lot and got to read about a new experience outside my own. I will say, my rating of this memoir did dwindle after 200 pages or so. The author felt a bit self-aggrandizing/elitist and the writing got to be a bit "holier-than-thou," especially in Part Three when she talks about getting into/being at Penn and all her academic accomplishments. She also seems ungrateful at times for help she was offered and received, trying to give herself all the praise and credit (not to say she didn't do a lot of hard things on her own). The paragraph on googling the price of Canada Goose jackets and being shocked by your classmates' wealth was very relatable though. overall, enjoyable read with quick chapters & lots of insight!