I’m super excited to share my review of The Book of Rosy: A mother’s story of separation at the border by Rosayra Pablo Cruz and Julie Schwiertz Collazo. This is a powerful non-fiction book about a mother’s journey to save her family.
Synopsis
Compelling and urgently important, The Book of Rosy is the unforgettable story of one brave mother and her fight to save her family.
When Rosayra “Rosy” Pablo Cruz made the agonizing decision to seek asylum in the United States with two of her children, she knew the journey would be arduous, dangerous, and quite possibly deadly. But she had no choice: violence—from gangs, from crime, from spiraling chaos—was making daily life hell. Rosy knew her family’s one chance at survival was to flee Guatemala and go north.
After a brutal journey that left them dehydrated, exhausted, and nearly starved, Rosy and her two little boys arrived at the Arizona border. Almost immediately they were seized and forcibly separated by government officials under the Department of Homeland Security’s new “zero tolerance” policy. To her horror Rosy discovered that her flight to safety had only just begun.
In The Book of Rosy, with an unprecedented level of sharp detail and soulful intimacy, Rosy tells her story, aided by Julie Schwietert Collazo, founder of Immigrant Families Together, the grassroots organization that reunites mothers and children. She reveals the cruelty of the detention facilities, the excruciating pain of feeling her children ripped from her arms, the abiding faith that staved off despair—and the enduring friendship with Julie, which helped her navigate the darkness and the bottomless Orwellian bureaucracy.
A gripping account of the human cost of inhumane policies, The Book of Rosy is also a paean to the unbreakable will of people united by true love, a sense of justice, and hope for a better future.
Why did I choose to read this book
My IRL book club was lucky to receive advance copies of this book to read. One of our member’s boss is actually friends with one of the writers (Julie) so we thought it was meant to be for us to pick this book for our book club!
Rating
Read NOW! (Check out my non-fiction rating system)
My Thoughts
The book is divided into two sections, Rosy’s story and Julie’s efforts in creating a non-profit (Immigrant families together) which is how she met Rosy and helped her reunite with her sons. I wanted more of Rosy’s side of the story but it was fascinating to learn about all that Julie does with her non-profit.
I think it is so important for us to read these #ownvoices experiences with immigration. In this book you get to see the difficult decision Rosy had to make in hopes for a better life for her family and the struggles immigrants face in the journey. I felt lots of emotions while reading this book!
This was my book club’s pick last month and we had a great discussion. We were lucky to have the opportunity to virtually chat with the authors. We discussed their writing process, what they are up to now, and the work of Immigrant families together. I’m grateful for Rosayra and Julie for sharing their story with the world.
Who I recommend this book to
Everyone! I think this is a book that everyone should read and would find powerful or learn something from.
Get the book!
Did I convince you to read this book? You can get The Book of Rosy from Bookshop.org here. Please consider ordering it from a Black owned independent bookstore. This list of Black owned independent bookstores accepts online ordering.
I hope so many people read this book. It deserves to become a bestseller!