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My Side of the River

A Memoir

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A New York Times Editor's Pick
A People Magazine Best Book to Read in February
A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book of 2024

"My Side of the River is both fierce and poetic. It brilliantly reframes border writing while embracing nature and familial history. There are moments one sees greatness appear. This is one of those moments." —Luis Alberto Urrea, New York Times bestselling author of Good Night, Irene
Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez reveals her experience as the U.S. born daughter of immigrants and what happened when, at fifteen, her parents were forced back to Mexico in this captivating and tender memoir.
Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips. She was preparing to enter her freshman year of high school as the number one student when suddenly, her own country took away the most important right a child has: the right to have a family.
When her parents' visas expired and they were forced to return to Mexico, Elizabeth was left responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being a "statistic," she knew that even though her parents couldn't stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide. Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation due to broken immigration laws.
For fans of Educated by Tara Westover and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, My Side of the River explores separation, generational trauma, and the toll of the American dream. It's also, at its core, a love story between a brother and a sister who, no matter the cost, is determined to make the pursuit of her brother's dreams easier than it was for her.

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    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2023

      The U.S.-born daughter of Mexican immigrants, Gutierrez was entering high school as a top-notch student when her parents were forced to return to Mexico after their visas expired. Left to care for her younger brother and get herself through school, she eventually attended the University of Pennsylvania and is currently serving as a product manager at a Big Tech company. Here she discusses separation trauma, the opportunities and costs of staying in the United States, and the love between her and her brother, who's pursuing his own dreams. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      December 15, 2023
      A second-generation immigrant's story of holding her dreams, her parents' expectations, and America's demands in balance. Born in Arizona to Mexican parents on tourist visas, Camarillo Gutierrez was told from an early age that she would need "to be the best." This directive became her mantra as she moved through her childhood in Tucson, and both volatility and education were driving forces. In this debut memoir, the author, a product manager at a big tech company, leaves almost no facet of the immigrant experience unexplored: dire economic circumstances, arbitrary and opaque visa policies, the premium placed on achievement, organizing in the face of rising anti-immigrant sentiment. Camarillo Gutierrez's life and interests have breathtaking scope. We follow her from scenes set at the gate between Mexico and the U.S. to the halls of the Ivy League and positions in finance and technology, and the author offers memorable thoughts about religion, the environment, and mental health. She displays the voice, insight, and personal connection to turn any one of these topics into its own volume. At a few points in the narrative, however, the scope is unmatched by the depth, leaving some threads without continuity, others without closure, and many with surface-level analysis. If this trait sometimes leaves readers unsure where to focus, it also reveals the enormity of the pressure immigrants in America, especially immigrant youth, must withstand--the compromises and sacrifices that must be made, the contradictions that elude reconciliation. Camarillo Gutierrez's open and candid personal exposition hints not only at the tensions inherent in her own life, but also at those in American culture and policy. By bringing readers into the precarious and emotional positions that these tensions force individuals and families to endure, she invites deeper, more compassionate analysis and conversation. A moving story of the humanity at the center of the often-breathless and uninformed immigration debate.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      January 1, 2024

      Gutierrez's memoir poignantly conveys her story of being born and raised in Tucson, AZ, by Mexican immigrants. Her parents wanted her to get the best education she could in the U.S., and she excelled academically. Her parents' visas expired when she was 15, which forced them to return to Mexico while Gutierrez stayed behind in the U.S. to continue her education. She moved several times, staying with neighbors, school administrators, and even strangers who took her in. Through sheer determination, she fought back against the oppression, trauma, and racism that worked against her, to create the life her parents dreamed of for their children. Written in an immersive and easy-to-read style, the book shows readers what it was like for Gutierrez throughout those difficult times before she achieved an impressive level of success. VERDICT Perfect for readers who want to learn more about how the U.S immigration system affects the families its laws separate. Also a great pick for fans of memoirs about people who overcome the odds against them.--Leah Fitzgerald

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      January 1, 2024
      Gutierrez's captivating memoir shares her experience as a first-generation American. The author's parents came from Mexico to Arizona to have her and her brother, wanting to provide a better life for their children through U.S. citizenship and access to the American educational system, but were forced to leave the U.S. when their tourist visas expired. Relating a truncated childhood and chaotic early years lived in the U.S. and Mexico with exceptional courage, grit, and resilience, Gutierrez respectfully references the multifaceted role that her family played during this time as a source of both frustration and encouragement. As a teenager, Gutierrez flourished despite abrupt family separation, poverty, homelessness, and ongoing intergenerational trauma. She suppressed her personal goals, suffering bouts of deep cynicism and hopelessness, to pay homage to the tremendous sacrifices made on her behalf. The author modestly recounts the rigorous education she procured while simultaneously assuming guardianship of her younger brother and financially supporting her family back in Mexico. This is an inspirational example of dedication, devotion, and triumph over multiple oppressive juggernauts.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 26, 2024
      Camarillo Gutierrez transforms her 2020 TED talk into a potent debut about her separation from her parents and her experience as a first-generation college student. Born in Tucson, Ariz., to Mexican immigrants, Gutierrez’s childhood was marked by the constant threat of collapse. Her parents worked under-the-table jobs, collected cans for money, and housed their four-person family in a one-room shed. In 2011, when Camarillo Gutierrez was 15, her parents’ tourist visas expired and they were blacklisted from further entry into the United States for at least three years. Camarillo Gutierrez opted to leave her parents and younger brother in Mexico and remain in Tucson alone, where she would pursue college and attempt to become the family breadwinner. She graduated high school at the top of her class, secured admission to the University of Pennsylvania, and eventually landed an analyst position at Wells Fargo in New York City, where she took in her brother so he could also attend college. Camarillo Gutierrez sustains a sense of urgency to her writing, whether about her first memories of Tucson’s rushing Rillito River or the ins and outs of caring for her teenage brother, and creates an involving, inspirational portrait of personal resilience and firm family bonds. It’s galvanizing stuff. Agent: Johanna V. Castillo, Writers House. (Feb.)Correction: An earlier version of this review mischaracterized the circumstances of the author’s separation from her parents.

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