Elizabeth was born in America, as was her little brother, but not their parents. As Mexican citizens in the country on tourist visas, her parents walked a fine line between wanting more for their children, and knowing they would always be considered second class citizens in their community. Elizabeth, however, made the most of her circumstances. Graduating top of her high school class and attending a prestigious college, she worked to put the stigma and family drama holding her down behind her and make a better world for her brother.
In My Side of the River, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez shares the personal story of the challenges and trauma experienced by her family as they faced the consequences of her parents’ illegal status in the United States. This book reveals the difficult decisions faced by many undocumented immigrants when others take advantage of them – calling law enforcement would mean putting themselves in jeopardy, too. Gutierrez’s story also shows the difficulties faced by many who seek to come to the United States legally through the visa process where they are turned away with little explanation and told to try again later. This book is about the bonds of family, but also of knowing your own strength and finding your own community in your new life.
I give My Side of the River 4 out of 5 stars. I am ashamed to say that I don’t know more about the current state of immigration policies at the Mexican-American border. This is the first book I’ve read that documents the struggles these families are facing, as well as the paths they take to circumvent the policies. I am in awe of the personal strength Gutierrez showed in the face of living in the US without family and bringing her brother to live with her later in life to give him the same opportunity. The only real downside to this book for me was in the use of Spanish in the narratives. I consider not bringing this up because I can see it’s value in the overall writing of the dialogue, but, for someone who does not speak Spanish even a little bit (hello 4 years of French I also barely remember), this made it difficult for me to follow the conversations at first. I’m still questioning if I read some of these correctly, but it appears the writer added the English equivalent phrases after. With that said, I nearly put the book down 3 chapters in because I felt like I was missing portions of the story. There is real value in the experiences shared in this memoir and I wonder if there would be a better way to share the Spanish dialogue in a way that would not alienate those not familiar with the language.
Given the discussion of immigration and the experience of those traveling here outside of the approved Green Card channels, I would recommend this book for anyone looking to learn more about what these families face. I would especially recommend this book to lawmakers who are writing new legislation meant to “deal with” these circumstances. I would also recommend this for high school students from lower income and less privileged families looking to figure out how to attend college – Elizabeth’s experience is not unique and would give so many valuable ideas for success.
I chose My Side of the River for the Booklist Queen Reading Challenge prompt “with a red cover”. This is the final book I’m reading for her challenge in 2023!! I greatly enjoyed her challenge the past 2 years and it has inspired me to start my own challenge in 2024. This book was a wonderful way to end the experience as well. I won the ARC from a Goodreads giveaway a few weeks back and was looking for a book with a red cover among my TBR stacks when it arrived in the mail – perfect timing. Again, I’m ashamed to say I don’t know more about the topics covered in it’s pages, but will be looking to read more about experiences like Elizabeth’s moving forward!
My Side of the River will release on February 13, 2024. You can preorder your copy now on our Bookshop page!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Long After We’re Gone, Terah Shelton Harris
- Current audio book: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
- Book I’m most looking forward to: When Women Were Dragons, Kelly Barnhill
Read With Lindsey 