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lgmaxwell722's review against another edition
3.0
Weaving personal history with investigative reporting, Hinojosa paints a story of immigration in the U.S. beginning with her arrival in the 1960s. She discusses how immigration policy has drastically changed throughout the decades with the terms illegal, immigrant, and alien with a laser focus on those coming from Mexico and Central and South America. Through her reporting she exposes the horrors of detention centers in this county and their negative impact on communities of color. A read for those who want to understand more about immigration in this country through the lens of a Latinx women with passion and strength.
samneedham17's review against another edition
5.0
“You help break down the wall when you spend a moment reflecting on your own immigrant roots and talking about them, especially if they didn’t come with papers, to others who have forgotten their families were once immigrants, too.”
TW: This book includes topics of sexual assault and rape and may be triggering to some.
TW: This book includes topics of sexual assault and rape and may be triggering to some.
kbrownreads's review against another edition
5.0
I love memoirs that intertwine the personal and the historical and this one does that so well!
peterthereader's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
Take a listen to this podcast that discusses many relevant issues brought up in the book: https://www.inthethick.org/podcast_episodes/itt-sound-off-the-fight-continues/
I love listening to Latino USA and In the Thick, but this didn't quite deliver the insight into Hinojosa's career that I was hoping for in a memoir.
The through line is Hinojosa's journey to America as a baby when her father, a renowned doctor, is recruited by University of Chicago to bring his expertise to the lab. The catch? He had to become an American citizen and give up his Mexican citizenship. There was a time when America did welcome immigrants, but even as an American, Hinojosa's father is always seen as "other" and never given an opportunity to move up in the university's hierarchy. He is never given a solid salary and instead relies on grants to fund his research.
Hinojosa takes her journey as an immigrant and follows the laws that have become so divided by the current political climate. This is a fact: Reagan and George Sr. passed sweeping legislation that actually opened up immigration quotas and expanded the number of immigrants allowed in. The key? It was politically beneficial to their agendas. Once 9/11 happened, immigration became synonymous with terrorism. And that hasn't changed.
I guess my takeaway from the book is that I know a lot more about immigration policy and the monetization of the places that hold immigrants. I also better understand the need to play to the fears of Americans that "the other" that doesn't look white is invasive and will overtake the dominant race. That's a real fear as evidenced by the toxic rhetoric of Tucker Carlson.
It's hard to move away from the belief that one group is better than another: colonialism 101.
Anyway, all that is to say that Hinojosa doesn't always make the strong link to her own journalism journey (which is what I was most interested to learn). I wanted to be a journalist and I wish I had been aware of Hinojosa's work when I started college. It may have changed my academic trajectory.
I love listening to Latino USA and In the Thick, but this didn't quite deliver the insight into Hinojosa's career that I was hoping for in a memoir.
The through line is Hinojosa's journey to America as a baby when her father, a renowned doctor, is recruited by University of Chicago to bring his expertise to the lab. The catch? He had to become an American citizen and give up his Mexican citizenship. There was a time when America did welcome immigrants, but even as an American, Hinojosa's father is always seen as "other" and never given an opportunity to move up in the university's hierarchy. He is never given a solid salary and instead relies on grants to fund his research.
Hinojosa takes her journey as an immigrant and follows the laws that have become so divided by the current political climate. This is a fact: Reagan and George Sr. passed sweeping legislation that actually opened up immigration quotas and expanded the number of immigrants allowed in. The key? It was politically beneficial to their agendas. Once 9/11 happened, immigration became synonymous with terrorism. And that hasn't changed.
I guess my takeaway from the book is that I know a lot more about immigration policy and the monetization of the places that hold immigrants. I also better understand the need to play to the fears of Americans that "the other" that doesn't look white is invasive and will overtake the dominant race. That's a real fear as evidenced by the toxic rhetoric of Tucker Carlson.
It's hard to move away from the belief that one group is better than another: colonialism 101.
Anyway, all that is to say that Hinojosa doesn't always make the strong link to her own journalism journey (which is what I was most interested to learn). I wanted to be a journalist and I wish I had been aware of Hinojosa's work when I started college. It may have changed my academic trajectory.
abarr3ra's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this book as I love hearing the author read their memoir.
lurieta's review against another edition
5.0
As a longtime fan of Maria Hinojosa and Latino USA, I loved listening to her narrate her memoir. It is a compelling and heartfelt look at her experience as a Mexican immigrant and how her family's experiences shaped her road as a writer, journalist and producer. She pairs compelling stories about her life growing up, her relationships and her career with stories and history about US immigration policies and stories from refugees and migrants to demonstrate the complex stories that each person has that make up a migrant experience. At the end of the book, Maria read the acknowledgements and it was so clear what a collective community she has supported and been supported by. I highly recommend this book!
lupitaxmendez's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
essential reading to understand our country's relationship with immigration through the eyes of the THE latina chingona journalist
christinavarela's review against another edition
3.0
Audiobook. I’m reminded of why I don’t like to review memoirs, you feel like you’re trashing the persons life. This book was not what I was expecting. I think it would have been stronger if it was strictly her memoir or strictly expose on the immigration system. I kept thinking I might appreciate this book more if it was a different narrator. Come to find out the narrator is the author herself. So once again I feel like I’m trashing her. Memoir is typically not my genre, that could be part of the issue here.
estrellasycafe's review against another edition
5.0
I knew I loved Maria Hinojosa, but this cemented my admiration for her to a new level of depth. Remarkable story by a remarkable human.