The Book Every Immigrant Child Needs to Read

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water…

A novel by Angie Cruz

As a daughter of immigrants, this book hits me like a train. The title itself is underestimated, simplistic, and intriguing. It shook me to the core and allowed me to accept my inner feelings about my ethnicity.

With that being said, let's get into it.

Placed throughout twelve sessions, this story and its unique format had me hooked from the very beginning.

The story follows our main character, Cara Romero, a Spanish-speaking immigrant in her mid-50s who had lost her factory job. She was meeting with a job counselor as part of the Senior Workforce Program to continue receiving both her unemployment benefits and her assistance in finding new employment. Throughout the book, Cara recounts her funny and not-so-funny memories and makes revelations about who she truly is as a person.

Her story is scarily similar to a lot of immigrants.

Throughout her sessions, she comes through realizations of her personality and how she’s lived her life.

The quote, “Don’t down in a glass of water” means to not get overwhelmed by ordinary circumstances. However, the person going through these circumstances may not realize they are as ordinary. They can’t see that they are accompanied by other people going through similar struggles.

This quote resonates with our main character, Cara, because she gets overwhelmed by everything: her sister, her brother, and the thought of getting murdered by her ex-husband. Cara is a very caring woman who works tirelessly to help the people she cares about. So, she carries all of the weight on her shoulders to allow her family to pursue their education, careers, and marriages. She continues to help her neighbors and friends, even with the continuous threat of security in her apartment. These experiences represent what a lot of immigrants go through as they come to an entirely different country with little to no resources.

However, throughout this, Cara elaborates on her close relationships with her family, neighbors, and other people. Despite this burden, as the sessions go on, Cara becomes more open and honest. She reflects on her childhood, family dynamics, and other experiences, and by the end, she is a new woman with a new mindset.

This 5 star read is quite literally my favorite book of all time.