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

I received a free electronic copy of this memoir from Netgalley, Rosayra Pablo Cruz, and publisher HarperCollins - Harper One. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this memoir of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I heartily encourage friends and family to read The Book of Rosy. This is an honest look into the policy of separation of families at the border being experienced by those refugees seeking political asylum in the United States. Many of us live just an hour to two from the border. This is happening at our back door. I personally live just one hour from the international bridge at El Paso, Texas – Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua (El Paso-Juarez). We border locals do what we can - there are baskets at the exits to our local grocery stores for non-perishable food donations to this cause, and most of the thrift stores in this area would let you donate a box of solidly packed assorted clothing for $10. Of course, the Corona Virus has us currently shut-in and nothing is being recycled anywhere - and this problem of asylum seekers being separated and jailed has not shut down even during the pandemic. New Mexico has International bridges at Antelope Wells, New Mexico – El Berrendo; Chihuahua; Columbus, New Mexico – Palomas, Chihuahua; and Santa Teresa, New Mexico – San Jerónimo, Chihuahua. California has six border crossing areas and Texas and Arizona have many crossing areas so you can see that this is not a casual problem for us southwesterners, even in the best of times. At this moment there are still many children removed from their families years ago who are 'lost' in the details. I cannot imagine how that could happen, but it has been and is still a problem. For-Profit containment areas for these mothers and fathers are poorly run and inhumane for the most part and in many the virus is rampant. There is no such thing as social distancing in a prison environment. For example, my New Mexico county of Otero has as of today just 8 cases of the virus, with two deaths. Our jails, however, have 79 confirmed cases at the county prison and 66 at the ICE processing center on the Texas border as of Friday, May 22. We live in a world filled with refugees rampant on all continents. As a world, we have to learn how to settle these problems before they happen. I don't have the solution but a little reinspection of the works of Mandela and Gandhi come to mind as a pattern to emulate. Please, read this book. Rosayra is only one of many abused by this system. And VOTE! Study your options well, and be first in line at the polls this fall. We do have a voice, at least in spirit, so do what you can, where you are, to bring humanity back to governments around the world.