Book Review: The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo -Memoir/Immigration

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo.

Title: The Book of Rosy: A Mother's Story of Separation at the Border

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Memoir/Immigration

Author: Rosayra Pablo Cruz (Author), Julie Schwietert Collazo

Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: June 02, 2020

Language: English

Hardcover: 256 pages
Meet the Author: Rosayra Pablo Cruz
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

A searing tale of the human lives behind the immigration crisis, written by two remarkable mothers—a Central American woman whose children were taken from her and the American who helped reunite the family.

When Rosayra Pablo Cruz made the wrenching decision to seek asylum in the United States with two of her children, five-year-old Fernando and fifteen-year-old Yordy, she knew the journey would be incredibly difficult, dangerous, and potentially deadly. But violence had made life in Guatemala untenable; Rosy knew her family’s only chance to survive was to go north.

After a perilous journey that left them dehydrated, starved, and exhausted, Rosy, Fernando, and Yordy crossed into Arizona. Almost immediately, they were forcibly separated by government officials under the Department of Homeland Security’s “zero tolerance” policy.

In The Book of Rosy, Rosy and Julie Schwietert Collazo, founder of Immigrant Families Together, the grassroots organization founded to reunite mothers with their children, tell Rosy’s story. They expose the cruel conditions of the detention facilities, the unbearable anxiety of having her children ripped away, and the faith and love that helped her through the darkest time. 

A gripping, unflinching depiction of the human cost of inhumane policies and the unbreakable bonds of family, faith, and community.

My Thoughts

I devoured this book. I could not stop reading it. I have never gone through or been in the position the author was, however, I strongly believe this is in indeed an accurate representation of what people at the border experience. I know it could be seem as cliche or easy to say for me, but I admire when people like Rosy share their experiences, when they are brave enough or feel compelled to do something about it. Somehow, help the others that are living the same pain and suffering to have hope.

For us readers, it is a way to better understand and not easily judge or think all the people trying to cross the border are bad people, like they want us to believe. I can only imagine how hard and heartbreaking was for Rosy, and all the other moms there, to be separated from their children and for them as well, being without their moms, for such longs periods of times. Granted they are taking care of but is it not the same. 

This certainly won't be the last book I will be reading on the subject of immigration, border stories, border separation. I want to know of other people's stories and better educated myself. I think we as a society have the responsibility to understand that behind the pain, the suffering, the difficulties, are real people and we have an obligation not to judge but understand and be more compassionate.

Wendy

Book Review: American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins-Fiction/Hispanic American Literature

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins.

Title: American Dirt: A Novel 

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Genre: Fiction/Hispanic American Literature

Author: Jeanine Cummins

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Publication Date: January 21, 2020

Language: English

Hardcover: 400 Pages
Meet the Author: Jeanine Cummins
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy―two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia―trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?

American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.

Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

My Thoughts

I finished reading/listening to American Dirt and wanted to share my thoughts. As a story teller, I think the author does a great job. The book as a whole has pretty much all the things I usually like in a book. Good writing, good pace, characters that you can somehow relate to. 

Now, that being said, I also understand where all the rejection, anger, controversy towards it comes from. See they say writers should only write what they know. I don’t necessarily agree with that. A writer can write about any subject, but if you are going to write about something you don’t know, you better do it right. And that is when I had conflict with the book. I listened to an interview with the author, where she says she did her research, and I believe she might but i don’t think her book necessarily reflects that. 

After reading other non-fiction books on the same subject, I can’t agree that American Dirt is an accurate representation of the realities of Immigrants. I am an Immigrant, however, the way I came to the US was totally different from the people on these non-fiction books I have read, and as a writer I could never feel totally confident to tell a story on the subject as if my experiences were the same as theirs. I can speak from my experience, I came here by choice not because that was my only choice. That is the issue I have with the book. 

I think when it comes to sensitive topics, situations causing so much pain and suffering in real life, you can do ‘research’ and also go for the ‘fictional’ work route but that will never be an accurate representation, that will never be the same as the non fiction, or should I say, very real stories from people who are actually living the pain and the struggles of their circumstances. We as writers need to write with purpose, need to remember that behind some story lines, narratives, there are real people and they deserve better. 

Again, this is my opinion, you don’t necessarily have to agree. I also won’t say American Dirt is a great or is a horrible book. I think each person should read it and form their own opinion.

Wendy

Book Review: Long Bright River: A Novel by Liz Moore-Literary Fiction/Thriller

Hello dear Readers,

My book review of Long Bright River: A Novel by Liz Moore.

Title: Long Bright River: A Novel

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Literary Fiction/Thriller

Author: Liz Moore

Publisher: Riverhead Books

Publication Date: January 07, 2020

Language: English

Hardcover: 496 pages
Meet the Author: Liz Moore
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn't be more different. Then one of them goes missing.

In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling.

Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late.

Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

My Thoughts

Seems like the last few years, the first book I read/finished the first month of that new year, turned out to be an amazing one. This 2020 was not the exception. Long Bright River is such a beautiful book, one of these books that stays with you even after finishing it. 

It is not just the plot, or the characters, or the setting, or the writing. It is absolutely everything about this book that makes it an incredible reading experience. There were moments I had a hard time putting it down, I couldn't stop reading. For a nearly 500 pages long, this book is fast paced and easy to follow along with.

This was not an easy or comfortable read. Due to the subject in display, drug addiction, the opioid crisis. This kind of topics can be a trigger for people, for different reasons. I was a little hesitant as to what to expect or the way it was going to be presented/worked but the more I read, the more I could see the author really did a great job even though the subject is not an easy one, but she managed a well, beautifully-written book, about addition, the hardships it comes with and in this story, the complications and impact that issue has in the bond, relationship sisters Mickey and Kacey had growing up.

I was certainly not expecting that twist in the story, but at the end made a lot of sense for the story. Mickey, who is our narrator, is a very reliable character. Both sisters bring a lot to the story and all the other characters. I admire both sisters for all their courage and honesty and the way they confront their own issues. When Mickey realized the possibility her sister Kacey could be missing, she feared the worst and did everything she could to find her. Something else I loved about the book is how well the author present the place the story takes place. Kensington, in Philadelphia. While reading I could feel I was there, I could easily picture the place in my head.

I do not what else to say about this book other than it is one of the best books I have ever read and that I cannot recommend it enough. A powerful and beautiful novel.

Wendy