The Book of Rosy audiobook

My big question of the hour: Why the fuck haven't more people read this book?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.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.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. 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.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!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.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.

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.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.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.

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.

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.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. 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. 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. 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.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.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. 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."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. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. Put this on your TBR list. The book debuts in June 2020.

There are so many things I can say about The Book of Rosy. It was emotional, difficult to read at times and often heartbreaking. But it was honest, an immigration story that wasn’t sugar coated, an important story for everyone but especially Americans.Read this book instead of American Dirt. Read this book if (like me) you initially loved American Dirt but then learned more and are trying to do better. Read this book if you don’t understand why ICE is a problem. Read this book if you actually believe we need a wall. Read this book if you want to know more about immigration. Read this book because it’s a story different from your own. Just read this book.

[4,5/5 stars]THE BOOK OF ROSY is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story about Rosayra Pablo Cruz, a mother seeking asylum in US with her children.Due to the violent life in Guatemala and in the hope of having a better life in US, the first half of the book follows Rosayra's brutal journey from Guatemala to US. It was painful to read about the sufferings of Rosayra and her family; and also the saddening decisions that she had to make. I was infuriated reading the parts regarding zero-tolerance policy implemented by the Trump administration at Mexico-US border. While I felt all her helplessness and despair, her strength and faith were inspiring.The second part is about Julie Collazo founding the non-profit Immigrant Families Together and how Collazo and Cruz cross paths. I was immersed in both sections, however I wanted more of Rosy's story.This is an #ownvoices story of immigration that I highly recommend.[ I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review ]

"The Book of Rosy" tells the harrowing true story of Rosayra Pablo Cruz, who flees Guatemala with her two sons to seek asylum in the United States only to be separated from her children at the border and incarcerated by ICE. Told through two parallel stories - Rosy's and that of Julie Schwietert Collazo, who created a group called Immigrant Families Together (IFT) - we see firsthand how two mothers' lives become intertwined due to pain and trauma and how together they overcome it.The sections of the memoir written by Rosy explain her background growing up poverty-stricken in the increasingly dangerous country of Guatemala. She and her family endure the unthinkable and yet she still finds the strength and resilience to hope for something better for her children. Her writing is visceral - I was especially moved by this description of the dangerous journey to cross the border: "My heart breaks when I think about all the losses that have occurred along the Migrant Highway, each story that will be remembered only by the person who suffered it. If these losses were identified by tombstones, the whole highway would be lined by an unbroken chain of marble or humble markers. 'Here lies a woman's virginity.' 'Rest in eternal peace, stillborn infant.' 'RIP HOPE.' The memorials of pain would be so poignant that you'd have to look away."Once in the United States, Rosy recounts her detainment and separation from her children. She had crossed the border once before, prior to the implementation of the Trump zero-tolerance policies, and the contrast to the treatment she received then is stark and eye-opening. It is clear that the for-profit detention center she is sent to is more focused on making money and depriving people of their rights and dignity than anything else and it's heartbreaking that we allow this mistreatment of anyone, but especially women and children. While she is incarcerated in Arizona, Rosy's sons are sent to live in foster care hundreds of miles away in New York and with no family in the U.S. or money to hire to a lawyer or pay her $12,000 bail, her future looks bleak.Enter Julie, a Brooklyn mother and former social worker who is married to a Cuban immigrant and appalled by the Trump policies on separating families at the border. She decides one night she wants to do something about the situation and raises money to bail out one of the mothers in Rosy's detention center, helping to reunite her with her children and guide her through the asylum process. What seemed like a one-off idea is so successful that soon IFT is formed to help more mothers. Julie and her team of extremely effective volunteers tap into the collective outrage over the horrible treatment of these families by the administration and eventually Rosy's story comes to their attention via the attorney they work with, José Orochena, and she is bailed out and flown to New York to her sons.That would seem like it should be the happy ending but it's not. Both Rosy and Julie continue to recount the generosity of New Yorkers who provided shelter, clothing and other forms of support to the family as they acclimate to their new lives. They share how hard it was for Rosy and the boys to find a semblance of normalcy again, even with the benefit of therapy. And Rosy's asylum petition, and those for her boys, must still be resolved, an arduous and expensive process which would determine whether they could stay in the United States or be forced to return to Guatemala. This is a quick read - I finished it in a day - and worth every second. No matter where you land on the political spectrum, you should read this book to understand more about why people illegally cross into this country, what they risk to do so and how inhumanely they are treated if they get caught. You may be appalled by what people sacrifice to seek asylum and what they must endure at the hands of our government, but you'll also find hope in the kindness and dedication of people like Julie and all of those who reach out to help these families who want nothing more than to give their children a chance. One last note - I read this book as the protests over George Floyd's murder were unfolding all over the country. While "The Book of Rosy" is about immigration, there were several passages that felt so relevant to all of the unrest, especially this one from a Rosh Hashanah sermon Rosy and Julie attended (both are Christian but a temple in Brooklyn was instrumental in helping Rosy once she was released): "'The barrage of things coming at us all at once is not going to let up soon,' Rabbi Kolin said. 'That is both the nature of life as well as this historical moment in which we are living. But in our own hands,' she continued, 'is the healing of our souls, our homes, and our world." It is clear from Rosy's story that making our world a better place is truly "in our hands" - "normal" people are the ones who stepped up and changed her life: a former DUI attorney with no immigration experience, a mother of three in Brooklyn who mobilized her friends, a congregation in Brooklyn who saw echoes of what their ancestors endured and wanted to help. If I take one thing from this book, it's that each one of us can make a difference and have no excuse not to try.Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the authors for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

words cannot strongly convey my thoughts & emotions towards this book. it is raw, it is powerful and it is something everyone who has been blessed/lucky enough to be born in the United States needs to read, no matter your political standing. this is not a politically based read, but rather a an astounding memoir filled with hope, love & the unrelenting goodness of others. a must read!!!!!

Today is World Refugee Day and this memoir is precisely why we need this day to raise awareness.This book is a harrowing, first hand account of a Guatemalan mother forced seek asylum with two of her young sons. The violence, the danger, and lack of resources at home left her little choice but to set out on a dangerous journey to seek refuge in the US - only be detained and to have her young sons ripped from her arms at a detention center in Arizona.I don’t review memoirs in the same way I review other books. But the writing in this book paints a very clear picture of the life Rosy fled, the reasons for seeking asylum, and her subsequent, and quite honestly, inhumane experience in my own country.This is a must read #ownvoices memoir. Thank you to @netgalley for the gifted ebook in exchange for my honest review and also @harperonebooks for the finished copy.

The powerful memoir of Rosy, a Guatemalan mother of 4 who tells the story of her life in Guatemala with her four children and the events leading to her bringing her two boys to the US, where we is separated by them due to the Trump zero-tolerance program. Separated for 81 days in deplorable conditions, we learn what brought her to risk a crossing, what her life was like in her home country and then the work of the group IFT (Immigrant Families Together). IFT, founded by Julie, a former social worker whose husband was a refugee from Cuba, has sought and paid the bond on the relief of mothers separated from their children and then continue to support them as the families seek formal asylum. Rosy and Julie put a face to this policy and urge action. Rosy's faith and the humanity of the Americans who step up to help give faith. Full disclosure - I received a copy of this book from Net galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Firsthand accounts of immigrants arriving to this country are available (“American on Purpose” is so funny; “97 Orchard Street” is delicious; “Becoming Dr. Q” is fascinating) but none show the current obstacles, the overwhelming fear and flight, or the mechanics that go behind detention and release as this one does. If it is this painful to read about it, imagine how traumatic it was to experience it, live through it, retell it. The book is narrated by two women: Rosayra Pablo Cruz who fled the threat of death in Guatemala with her two boys and Julie Schwietert Collazo who formed the Immigrant Families Together organization that assisted Rosy and many others to reunite with their children after separation. Rosy’s tale is harrowing and told with immediacy that draws you in and lays bare the conditions that cause someone to leave their families and homes for safety and the conditions they suffer when they arrive. She makes it clear that wasn’t enough for her to have sheer determination or desire for a better life - she could not have survived but for her strength of faith and the kindness of strangers and dedication of volunteers. Julie’s account dives into the nitty gritty of how to motivate and organize and get real results. It seemed like a “wild idea” but by vocalizing and promoting it, these people raised funds to release some of the mothers, bring the families together, and support them financially, emotionally, and spiritually beyond the initial release from detention. My family was fortunate enough to have the means to help several Bosnian families seeking asylum in the US when I was a kid: money, clothing, housing, job opportunities, and respect. We continue to donate resources today and can attest that it does make a difference in these people’s lives. Highly recommend this book for readers looking to empathize and learn more about asylum and push back against the current regime’s immigration policies in meaningful ways. Not every story ends in success (especially not high living and mushroom hunting in NYC) but more will if more help. If you are in the DMV, check out CAIR Coalition. And while I’m plugging local folks, learn more about asylum on asylumist.com. Superb blurb:Those of us who are immigrants live in an in-between space. We belong neither there, where we came from, nor here, where we find ourselves now. And yet, we belong to both. We are from one place, now living in another. We walk with each foot in a separate world, a circumstance that requires considerable skill. No matter how long we live in our adopted country, and no matter how warmly we are embraced and how comfortable we are, we will always be aware that we are of some other place, that we were forged in conditions that are hard, if not impossible, for our new friends to understand, and that we are growing and evolving in a place that is difficult, if not impossible, for our blood families to know or comprehend. This is especially true for asylum seekers, who are in total limbo. Our cases aren’t yet resolved. Decisions about our futures have not yet been rendered. We want to start building lives here—we have started building lives here—but we do so tentatively, both yearning and afraid to strengthen and solidify friendships and connections, lest we be torn from them suddenly. We put down our fragile roots, allowing them to settle in the soil, aware that they could be ripped up at any time. We open our hearts to others but feel ourselves holding back a bit.

Short synopsis: 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. What I liked: This book is divided into two sections; Rosy’s story and Julie Schwietert Collazo’s journey to creating the non-profit, Immigrant Families Together, which is how she became involved with Rosy’s story.What I learned: The importance of immigration stories. While I’ve read about violence in Guatemala and the horrors at the border, this painted a clear and personal picture in why Rosy fled her violent home country and the truth in how people are mistreated at the borders.Quotes that stuck with me: Julie was getting a cashier’s check to help release three women at the Border and she says, “$47,000 that’s what the government says how much these lives are worth.” I immediately felt complete and utter sadness to think someone’s life had that little of a price tag. In Rosy’s words at the end of the book, she says, “we want to share your American dream” which is something I’ve been thinking about since I finished the book. People come to America for the dream that is offered because it’s attainable while in other countries it’s not. Giving someone the ability to go for their dream doesn’t take away from someone else’s.

I generally stay out of politics because I hate how ugly and judgmental and mean it makes people on both sides of the aisle. So, that being said, I don’t know much about the controversy that surrounds the political issues of illegal immigration. This book was very eye opening and educational for me. I always had an awareness of the situations that drive people to make the dangerous journey across the border but hearing these personal stories and experiences really humanized it for me. I especially appreciated the list of practical ways people can get involved that were shared at the end. I am inspired to check out the organization Welcome Blanket to work on quilting something for a family that arrives to the US in the future. Rosy’s steadfast faith in God, and her determination to use her experiences to grow in her faith, is amazing. She clearly loves her children and I admire her for making tough decisions to provide anything she possibly could for them. My heart goes out to her and I pray only the best for her family and for all the people who helped her along the way. May God bless them all greatly!