October 28
Westminster Book Group
9:30 a.m. • Fellowship
10:00 a.m. • Presentation
My Side of the River: A Memoir by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
Presenter: Guy D. Griffith
Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona, as the daughter of Mexican citizens who periodically lived and worked as immigrants in the United States. As her parents’ visas expired, they were forced to return to Mexico, leaving Elizabeth responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Armed with only her passport and sheer teenage determination, Elizabeth became what her school would eventually describe as an unaccompanied, homeless youth, one of thousands of underage victims affected by family separation. Her memoir relates the impact of law and U.S. immigration policy which encouraged seasonal labor but separated families like hers. She graduated from high school at the top of her class and, in 2018, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. She worked as a banking analyst at Wells Fargo and is now a product manager at a big tech company, where she uses her background and knowledge to empower communities. She has been featured on NPR’s Latino USA and delivered a viral TED Talk on finding opportunity and stability in the United States while examining flaws in narratives that simplify and idealize the immigrant experience. She lives in Brooklyn, New York and spoke to the Westminster members who attended last year’s Chautauqua Institution.
Buy a copy of the book here.
