In this complex, brutally honest memoir, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez describes her childhood and young adulthood as an American citizen and oldest daughter of undocumented parents living in Arizona in the late 1990s and the twenty-first century. Focusing on her family and those dynamics, her academic and life challenges (including homelessness and food insecurity) while living on her own at 15, and transitioning to an Ivy League education on the East Coast (and navigating the American university system on her own), Camarillo Gutierrez provides a first-person example of what these challenges look like to real people in the United States, giving a face to news headlines and the reality of living as a citizen with undocumented parents. Camarillo Gutierrez is brutally honest and realistic with her explanations and memories of growing up in Arizona, and she does not sugarcoat the difficulties and challenges. Her narrative voice is strong and decisive, and she also provides some social and cultural understanding to her situation and that of other undocumented individuals.This book is critically important to understand these real perspectives and understandings of the undocumented situation in the United States, and Camarillo Gutierrez has brought this narrative to life without addressing or stooping to the levels of the media’s perspective on this social situation.

The story Elizabeth unfolds is one of heartbreak, perseverance, determination, and grit. When her parents are deported to Mexico, she loses her stability overnight. Unwilling to back down from the fight for her life, Elizabeth buckles down. A thought provoking tale of courage and determination against the backdrop of immigration policy, this book is not for the faint of heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A few years ago, human rights took a backseat to a political circus, and those rights rapidly digressed to where they were DECADES ago - as our nation, comprised of immigrants, chose an elitist (and very odd, considering the history of the US) path of exclusion.

A personal account which should be required reading in every high school, to remind individuals that our country was founded based on a framework of inclusion.

This book reminds us all of the potential human cost of political views (torn apart families, loss, and devastation).

This book is a powerful, important and fascinating individual account of the rending of one immigrant's family's existence in a country where a "good life" was supposedly readily available for those who made their way to her borders.

Unless you are native American, if you live in the US, YOU too ARE an immigrant in a nation of immigrants.
This powerful book reminds us of the human cost of turning our backs on our brothers and sisters similarly attempting to improve their families future by immigrating to the United States.

My Side of the River is a memoir examining the plight of immigrants and first generation citizens in the United States. The story is urgent and timely and warrants 4*. However, with so many books on the subject to choose from, the writing was not as polished as I would have liked. Overall, I can recommend it but only with 3*.

I received a drc from the publisher via NetGalley.

I grew up fifteen minutes from the Mexican border in a community of mostly immigrants, so I actually have a few friends who have been in similar situations to the one that Camarillo Gutierrez talks about in her story. What I really appreciated in her memoir is her focus on education and overcoming the obstacles to get it and the way this explains the horrific immigration policies that split families. This should be mandatory reading for Americans. Perhaps it would help them cultivate more empathy for the people that come here in search of a better life.

What a great memoir! Not only does Elizabeth discuss her life as the oldest child of immigrants growing up in Arizona, but she also describes the other side of immigration...the human side. Her writing style kept me engrossed in her story and empathetic to the way immigration policies have affected her life. This memoir has a smooth and consistent flow to it that kept me listening. I finished it in one sitting. There is so much to hear and learn in this beautifully heartbreaking and heartwarming piece of literature. Whether you support "the wall" or not, and regardless of your stance on immigration issues, I implore you to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez debut memoir is a compelling work of non-fiction that I wished was fiction only because I didn't want her lived experiences to have happened in real life. In the short but powerful piece, Camarillo Gutierrez tells her experience growing up in an immigrant community in Tucson. While the author and her younger brother are American citizens, her childhood is shaped by her parents' Mexican citizenship and questionable status to remain in the U.S. As the memoir progresses, the author is forced to make the choice to continue her American education without the rest of her family or return to Mexico and give up her dreams when her parents are denied re-entry into the U.S. Camarillo Gutierrez, at a young age, becomes a surrogate mom for her younger brother in order to give her brother the best opportunities in U.S.

Much of this memoir happens during Arizona's “Show Your Papers” era and how undocumented immigrants or those who “look” like undocumented folks are judged harshly and repeatedly taken advantage of. The author gives a vibrant description of the harsh realities of life at the border as well as the crushing poverty. She asks the reader to consider how direct and systematic racism prevents individuals from achieving the American Dream.

5 stars! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will post reviews on post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon & Barnes & Noble.

I greatly enjoy reading memoirs, especially those that feature social causes, so I was instantly drawn to this one. Immigration is a large and polarizing issue, so I was excited to read a memoir from someone who is so strongly impacted by US policies.

Ultimately, the memoir provided me with some of the content and perspectives that I was looking for. Gutierrez's experiences were heartbreaking, and they are reflective of so many others who are negatively impacted by policies that are built around bias and stereotypes. Gutierrez is impressive and has overcome so much, which only makes her story and her determination that much more impressive.

I think it's important for more in the general population to have exposure and awareness about the damage that some of these US policies do to individuals and families. I'm glad Gutierrez was able to tell her story and I hope this memoir finds a wide reach.

One thing that was missing for me, and a large part of why I like social cause memoirs, is the call to action and next steps. With a memoir like this, I wanted it more tied in to the overarching issue and drawn back to the movement. This focused more and closed out more with her own personal accolades.

Additionally, one part of this memoir that I did not love was that at times her narrative, especially in college, felt judgmental and superior. Again, there is no doubt that Gutierrez is impressive and has overcome a lot. Due to that, I felt her story could have stood on its own and didn't need some of the chapters that tried to paint her stark difference with her classmates.

Ultimately, this was an engaging and important memoir. I think it brings an important topic to light and will be a good opportunity for many readers to broaden their understanding on immigration policies and the impacts they have. I think the author is incredibly impressive and has a promising future ahead of her, but ultimately I wanted a little bit more from this memoir. Regardless, I would still highly recommend it to others!

I really enjoyed this Memoir about Elizabeth. Learning about her life as an anchor baby. The sacrifices her parents went through to secure a better life for their children. The sacrifices that Elizabeth went through for herself and her brother. Learning more about the systems that fail immigrants who just want a better life. I'm glad there are programs for homeless teens to help them.

It makes me so mad when some people say bad things about immigrants.

Elizabeth is an excellent storyteller and narrator. I really enjoyed listening to this memoir. I find it so hard rating memoirs.

This is the story of the author who grew up in Arizona and attended University of Pennsylvania. Her parents did not have immigration status in the US. They were forced to return to Mexico with Elizabeth’s younger brother when she was 15. Elizabeth, at the top of her class, begged her parents to allow her to remain in Tucson, knowing that education was her only route out of poverty. Living with a family in Tucson, she finished high school and received funding to attend university. After completing her studies, she found a position in NY and was able to bring her brother to NY to live with her and attend school. Elizabeth describes a life of poverty, poor food, stress and depression as she overcomes the challenges of her background. A courageous memoir.

When I think I’m having a tough day, I need only recall the experiences Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez shares in her memoir My Side of the River and my privileged life snaps into perspective.

As a first generation American, her parents instilled a deep value of education as the key to the American dream. While her early childhood living with her parents was hard due to poverty, nothing prepared her for the devastation when they returned to Mexico and were denied reentry into the US.

With a relentless pursuit of education as her north star, Gutierrez endured several difficult living situations so she could graduate high school, earing the top spot in her class. Accepted into several prestigious colleges, she attended University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution, but floundered for a time in the posh, elitist environment. She faced continued racism and prejudice in her early career in the NYC finance industry.

The memoir explores several important topics including generational trauma, failed US immigration policies, and wealth disparity in our country. I’m usually not a fan of memoirs written early in a person’s life, but Gutierrez has plenty of lived experiences worthy of documenting in this way.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the review copy of this powerful memoir.

I re ally enjoyed Elizabeth's story about life as a child of immigrants. She had a lot of trauma growing up, and yet, she used it to her advantage to make her way through the world. My heart broke for her and her family, separated when she was a teenager. I did like her writing, but I felt like it was more "tell" not "show". That being said, I will look for more from her, and I hope things are looking up for her whole family. It ended kind of abruptly, and I would like to know what happened next for her!

Born in the United States of Mexican parents, young Elizabeth was left alone when her parents returned to Mexico to renew their visas and were denied the renewal. As Elizabeth strives to be a good student and to thrive, she encounters prejudice and poor treatment. I felt the book was a little light on detail and would have been better if perhaps more editing; only my opinion.

This book should be read in schools. Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez bares her soul in “My Side of the River” as she recounts a poignant journey where borders blur, resilience blooms, and the human spirit prevails. I absolutely adored this memoir and think it should be read widely.

Born to Mexican immigrants on the sun-kissed banks of the Rillito River in Arizona, Elizabeth's life takes an unexpected turn when her parents are forced to return to Mexico, leaving her behind. Elizabeth is a U.S.-born daughter of immigrants, and grapples with the weight of generational trauma and the harsh realities of broken immigration laws.

At only fifteen-years-old, she becomes an unaccompanied, homeless youth, forced to navigate a world where family separation is the norm. Her parents' visas expire, and suddenly, she is responsible not only for her own education but her younger brother.

Gutierrez's prose is… just wow. She tells of her experiences detailing resilience, determination, and love. The pursuit of the American dream becomes a treacherous path, yet one where Elizabeth clings to hope with sheer teenage willpower and a passport.

Folks, this book is more than a memoir. It's a testament to the indomitable spirit of those of us who refuse to be mere statistics. As a first-generation Canadian, I love how this book deals with themes of separation, identity, and the relentless pursuit of dreams.

Gutierrez's memoir is a powerful testament to the strength found on the other side of adversity.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First thank you to NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm torn on how to review "My Side of the River". Ultimately I didn't like it. My review leans more to 2.5 stars.

It is hard to judge someone's life, how they choose to portray it. There is no disputing Gutierrez had a challenging childhood/ early adulthood. Her drive to succeed is remarkable. I, too, would be bragging at how far I had come, Gutierrez's retelling felt over the top. The book was mostly her patting herself on her back "look how amazing I am" with little mention of those that helped her along the way. There were several times I laughed out loud at her hubris.

One thing to note- in the DRC, the name of the family she lived with 9th & 10th grade changed from Hernandez to Martinez. Hopefully a good editor caught that.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this one as it sounded like a truly compelling memoir. However, I found it to be light on what should have been deeply emotional experiences. I can't judge a memoir on the author's experiences, but wanted her to go deeper into her feelings. The writing was great, but it felt like there was a wall up between the author and readers. It lacked the vulnerability that draws me to memoirs.

MY SIDE OF THE RIVER demonstrates the grit, resilience, and heart of the author. She's lived a lot in her relatively young age. That being said, there were times that I felt that the story erred on the side of the superficial. It wasn't bad, per se, just not quite what I was hoping to read. All in all, this was a good book - though by the blurb, I was going into hoping it would have been great.

This memoir is written by a very young person, and that comes across on the page. The stories are superficial. I'm not emotionally engaged. I bought the audiobook thinking it would be better with the author narrating, but she sounds like what she is - a kid telling a sob story that isn't really that sad. Most of the things she complains about are things I experienced growing up in a white collar family in Canada. She doesn't do her parents justice by trying to write about their struggle through her lens. DNF at 37%

Gutierrez is an adept writer, and her prose kept me turning pages quickly and without much concern for the time. That said, a lot of this book felt very surface level, with not much depth. For being such a young age, she's lived a tumultuous life, and this could've been a much more gripping account of what it was like growing up separated from her family, trying to achieve the dream of a top education and reunification with her brother, but instead it felt sanitized and softened. I get wanting to appeal to more readers with a gentle description of her trials, but I believe that a deeper description of the realities of what life is like for immigrants and their families would have served this book better. This country isn't doing well by all of its people, and only by facing that head on do we have any chance of making real change for the better. Overall, an excellent debut worth taking the time to read.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press, the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

4.25⭐️

My Side of the River is a gripping memoir in which the author shares her story of growing up in Arizona as the child of undocumented immigrants. I was moved by this insightful tale and inspired by Elizabeth’s strength and determination even when the odds were stacked against her.

Thank you Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.