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

My big question of the hour: Why the fuck haven't more people read this book?<br /><br />What a powerful, difficult, impactful, and unflinching story from Rosayra Pablo Cruz and Julie Schwietert Collazo looking at the incredibly traumatic and painful underbelly of how immigration works in this country and how to look for the helpers in a system that seems so irretrievably broken.<br /><br />As y'all know, I'm usually eye-rolling about how so many books could easily be 100 pages shorter, but this is the rare one where I wish there were another 100-150 pages to read. Of course, Rosy doesn't owe us every single piece of her life, and I also understand why Schwietert Collazo's perspective was integral to getting full context to what Rosy experienced and the horrendous bureaucratic aspects of the American immigration system.<br /><br />One quick content note (less of a warning than the topics below): There's a lot of writing in here about faith, particularly Christianity (and some short sections about Judaism). Just a heads up to those who may be triggered by religious rhetoric. It's not proselytizing in nature, though. <br /><br />Content warning: Homicide, torture, police brutality, family separation, mentions of suicidal ideation and attempts, mentions of rape

This is a true story about a woman, Rosetta Pablo Cruz and the hardships, corruption, and violence that is happening in Guatemala and the difficulties she and others face trying to escape for a better life. It is a current story. These people being separated from their children in detention camps where they are treated inhumane, because of the new law of zero tolerance in effect. Her story and the amazing support that Americans, the Jewish community plus others is amazing. I now have a completely different outlook into the desperation and determination these people have. I wasn't going to read this book and now I'm happy as I gained some education. I received this book in a giveaway for my honest opinion.

(free review copy via Net Galley) ADD TO YOUR TBR! I normally don’t read ARCs this far in advance, but felt that this June 2020 release deserved my immediate attention. I read it in its entirety over the past 24 hours and it was well worth my time in bumping it up my TBR.<br /><br />Keep your eye out for it in June ~ especially those of you I’ve heard lately begging for a large publisher to hype an #ownvoices story about immigration to the US - so proud of Harper One for snagging this deal!<br /><br />Remember that pre-orders massively help demonstrate what readers care about and that requesting that your library purchase a book counts as a pre-order. Also just marking a book as to-read here helps boost it.<br /><br />As for a full review, I don’t really feel equipped to critically review a story such as this. A story of a woman’s trauma, and the story of the woman who helped her is really just what it is. Can you like or dislike such a thing??? My only criticism is that I wish it were longer.... it felt like we just got the tip of the iceberg here. Also, this is only one story of one woman whose journey had a miraculous turn when she got essentially rescued by IFT. Remember that her story doesn’t represent all who travel to the US from Central America, but her reasons for fleeing are shared by so many. Rosy’s words are in English via translation but I’m excited to hear that this book is being published simultaneously in English and Spanish. I’m excited to read more thoughts about this book when it’s been more widely reviewed.

The story Rosayra Cruz tells is an important one - how she left Guatemela, made her way to the US and sought asylum. Unfortunately, her simplistic writing felt like an adolescent's emotional diary, just skimming the surface and leaving me with unanswered questions. Irritatingly, she peppers her narrative with pious declarations -"whatever happens is God's will." The book was chopped into two perspectives, the other written by Julie Collazo, the director of "Immigrant Families Together." Although the dual structure was jarring, I appreciated learning about this amazing organization and how they helped Rosy and other families. Perhaps this slim book would have been more effective as a magazine article. Or marketed as a YA book.

After reading American Dirt in December I purposely sought out (with the help of MANY others) #ownvoices experiences with immigration. Back in January I read Tell Me How It Ends by Valeria Luiselli. This book was in essay form and gave us a look inside the experience of undocumented Latin-American children. The Book of Rosy is a mother’s story of separation at the border. Rosayra Pablo Cruz is a mother who decided to seek asylum in the U.S. with two of her children and upon doing so was detained while her children were sent off elsewhere. The book is divided into a few sections and I really found myself immersed in Rosy’s journey. She made the decision not once but twice to leave a violent life in Guatemala behind with young children and relied heavily on her faith. I don’t talk a lot about my faith on bookstagram and maybe because I feel like it’s a personal journey for us. Nonetheless, I too have felt times in my life where I have given it all up to God and I have seen the light shine through the darkness. Rosy’s constant faith and strength is admirable.<br /><br />While I found Julie Collazo (founder of Immigrant Families Together) sections interesting, I wanted more of Rosy’s story. It felt a little disconnected to drop Julie into the mix.<br /><br />I recommend you take the time to read #ownvoices stories of immigration, including this one. This personal and deeply affecting story is a necessary one.

3 stars Thanks to NetGalley and Harper One for allowing me to read and review this book. <br /><br />Written in conjunction by the woman who lived this horror and the woman who ultimately put her back on track, this is a real account of an immigrant family crossing into the US from Guatemala.<br /><br />Rosayra 'Rosy' Pablo Cruz made the agonizing decision to take two of her children, her youngest boys, and migrate to the United States, leaving the care of her two girls to her mother. Seized when trying to get into Arizona, this is her harrowing story of life in an ICE detention camp and having her boys sent miles away from her to live in the care of an unknown family. <br /><br />Two things kept her alive and sane - her undying faith and a woman named Julie Collazo. Julie had started the non-profit organization Immigrant Families Together. IFT's sole purpose was to keep children with, or reunite them with their parents. <br /><br />You hear Rosy tell of her experience in the brutal trip to the US, time spent in the detention camp and losing her children. Julie explains IFT and how she helped Rosy and many others make their bail and reunite with their children, find them temporary housing and guide them through their deportation process. <br /><br />Overall this book is testament to the courage and flexibility of the immigrant and to the resourcefulness of organizations like IFT in their willingness and steadfastness to be there in the time of crisis at a person's most vulnerable time. <br /><br />.

I’m skeptical when people say something is a quick read, but this really is...it is very hard to put down. What an incredibly heartbreaking look into the lives of families and their separation at the border. My heart broke multiple times throughout. I did enjoy reading about the “helpers” in this book, how humble they are, and how big of an impact they have in the lives of these people searching for a better life.

I have mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, Rosy lived through the hell that this country unleashed on her when she came to the US seeking asylum and hearing her story in her own words is powerful. On the other hand, there were three chapters written by the woman who founded Immigrant Families Together, Julie Schwietert Collazo. I’m not taking away from everything she has done, but the way these chapters were written—how many times does one need to remind her readers she used to be a social worker???—felt the literary equivalent to photos white college students post of their “mission trip” to Africa. Not only was she far too self-congratulatory, but she hijacked Rosy’s story. I understand that IFT was an essential part of Rosy’s life, but I feel like we could have simply had a short explanation of how the organization came to be and how they help reunite families in an epilogue. Overall, Julie’s chapters felt like they had a hint of white saviorism. By hint, I mean the lid wasn’t fully tightened on the jar when she went to sprinkle some into her chapters.<br /><br />I am not very comfortable giving a star rating for this one, even though I am. I think everyone should read Rosy’s story. I think Julie’s chapters should have been cut or at least heavily edited and while I recommend this book, I would tell others to skip her chapters; they don’t add anything essential and they pull too much focus from Rosy’s words. <br /><br />Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for access to this title.

The Book of Rosy is an amazing memoir about a mother making the tough decision to leave Guatemala and seek asylum in the United States. Rosayra Pablo Cruz details what lead her to make this decision, the scary journey to the US, and the terrible conditions she and her family faced, and the heartbreak of being torn away from her children.<br /><br />As soon as I began reading, I was captivated. I am from a Hispanic/Latin background and I understand the struggles that so many individuals face when it comes to seeking asylum. I felt like Rosy did an amazing job of painting a picture for readers to see not only what lead to her decision but the risks she and so many are willing to take all in the hope of a better and safer life. <br /><br />I could feel so many emotions as I was reading. I felt Rosy's fear, heartache, sadness, faith, and hope. I don't know Rosy personally but I can tell that she is a strong human being. She had to be for herself and her family. Her emotional and physical strength was tested so many times, but she knew God had another plan for her and she put faith in that. <br /><br />Rosy tells her truth and I feel like so many readers will appreciate her strength and feel empathy not only for her but for so many others that have to face such inhumane conditions. This book also brings awareness for those that don't know what happens when someone tries to leave their country for a better life. <br /><br />One of the hardest parts of the book was hearing about the separation between her and her kids. To see how inhumane the people working at these organizations like the Department of Homeland Security are and the lack of empathy they had and have is heartbreaking. To Rosy, I am so sorry that you had to go through that. I am happy that you are reunited. That truly brings a smile to my face. I wish things like this did not have to happen.<br /><br />I give The Book of Rosy 5 stars. It is a poignant memoir that will affect so many because of its brutal honesty. Rosy's decision to seek asylum in the US came with so many tough and scary obstacles but she had a dream for her and her family and she was going to see it through. This is such an inspirationtional story that I could not put down!

This book is divided into two sections: Guatemalan refugee, Rosayra Pablo Cruz’s story, and Julie Schwietert Collazo’s journey to creating the non-profit, Immigrant Families Together, which is how she became part of Rosy’s story in the US.<br /><br />This book is a compelling story of why and how Rosayra left Guatemala for asylum in the US: the 2008 murder of her husband, extortions, her own brush with death at the hands of gangs in 2011, and the US detention center where her young son was taken. <br /><br />Rosayra describes the guilt and sorrow she had over leaving her oldest son and her mother. "No one wants to leave the people they love...if they believed that staying would ensure survival...they would never walk through that door, fighting the impulse to look back with the deepest longing a person is capable of feeling. But since they know they are at risk, they put one foot in front of the other...even as they feel that they're being ripped into two jagged-edged pieces that will never fit neatly together again."<br /><br />Julie Collazo's journey to help families is also absorbing, describing the humanity shown by strangers, the obstacles, the coming together of a community like the DUI attorney turned immigration crusader, the volunteers, the rabbi's and synagogues. <br /><br />Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Put this on your TBR list. The book debuts in June 2020.