A review by nancysbookvida
Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa
5.0
Maria is many things: Mexican immigrant, journalist, producer, activist, wife, mom, and major chingona!
The book not only follows her life, but also gives a history of immigration in this country. It was really powerful to read and learn more about immigration policies and what influenced them. I did know some facts, but I still learned so much. To see the motivation behind the laws as well as who was impacted is important for every American to know. She talks about how US involvement has also impacted immigration. We see Maria grow up traveling across the border to visit family in Mexico and we see her kick ass as a journalist and see her in her professional journey. She is courageous. She reports on issues, but gives them a face and truly personalizes her stories. It’s clear that the stories she tells impact her by how she tells them.
Reading her memoir felt like she was telling me her story over a cup of coffee. I cried when she experienced hardships or when she shared someone’s heartbreaking story. I cheered and said, “YASS girl!” various times. I could relate to her constant feeling of imposter syndrome and her struggles with mental health. Overall, she inspired me more than I can say. Just seeing her, a fellow Latina, go after what she wants and succeeding at it truly motivated me to keep working on my dreams! Seriously, if you need some inspiration, this is absolutely a must read!! If you want to see the humanity in stories regarding immigration, Katrina, 9/11, political activists, READ THIS! She also is bipartisan in talking about immigration policies and she calls out anyone who needs to be called out. It’s a memoir, a history lesson, an inspiration ❤️Thanks for telling us your story and the stories we need to hear
Thank you to Atria Books for my ARC
The book not only follows her life, but also gives a history of immigration in this country. It was really powerful to read and learn more about immigration policies and what influenced them. I did know some facts, but I still learned so much. To see the motivation behind the laws as well as who was impacted is important for every American to know. She talks about how US involvement has also impacted immigration. We see Maria grow up traveling across the border to visit family in Mexico and we see her kick ass as a journalist and see her in her professional journey. She is courageous. She reports on issues, but gives them a face and truly personalizes her stories. It’s clear that the stories she tells impact her by how she tells them.
Reading her memoir felt like she was telling me her story over a cup of coffee. I cried when she experienced hardships or when she shared someone’s heartbreaking story. I cheered and said, “YASS girl!” various times. I could relate to her constant feeling of imposter syndrome and her struggles with mental health. Overall, she inspired me more than I can say. Just seeing her, a fellow Latina, go after what she wants and succeeding at it truly motivated me to keep working on my dreams! Seriously, if you need some inspiration, this is absolutely a must read!! If you want to see the humanity in stories regarding immigration, Katrina, 9/11, political activists, READ THIS! She also is bipartisan in talking about immigration policies and she calls out anyone who needs to be called out. It’s a memoir, a history lesson, an inspiration ❤️Thanks for telling us your story and the stories we need to hear
Thank you to Atria Books for my ARC