The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona with Tome Gnome and Tucson Spotlight to host the Solutions-Focused Community Book Club!
When: April 10, 2025 | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: CFSA Campus
Book: My Side of the River: A Memoir by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
This book club aims to bring together interested community members from all walks of life to bond over a shared desire to make our community better for all – and be inspired by a shared reading experience!
Light refreshments will be provided.
Fragrance can be an access barrier! To help make the Solutions-Focused Community Book Club accessible to participants for whom chemicals or fragrances are an access barrier, we request that you come fragrance-free. Please refrain from wearing any scented products or washing with them. This includes clothing that has been laundered with fragranced detergent or fabric-softening products.
My Side of the River: A Memoir by Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez
Born to Mexican immigrants south of the Rillito River in Tucson, Arizona, Elizabeth had the world at her fingertips. She was preparing to enter her freshman year of high school as the number one student when suddenly, her own country took away the most important right a child has: the right to have a family.
When her parents’ visas expired and they were forced to return to Mexico, Elizabeth was left responsible for her younger brother, as well as her education. Determined to break the cycle of being a “statistic,” she knew that even though her parents couldn’t stay, there was no way she could let go of the opportunities the U.S. could provide. 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 due to broken immigration laws.
For fans of Educated by Tara Westover and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, My Side of the River explores separation, generational trauma, and the toll of the American dream. It’s also, at its core, a love story between a brother and a sister who, no matter the cost, is determined to make the pursuit of her brother’s dreams easier than it was for her.
About the Panelists:
Elizabeth Slater, CEO of Youth on Their Own
For 25 years, Elizabeth Slater has worked with youth as an education coach, health advocate, and safe housing proponent. She currently serves as CEO of Youth On Their Own in Tucson, Arizona, supporting educational attainment for teens experiencing homelessness. Elizabeth previously completed a decade of service with AmeriCorps, developing dropout prevention programs in urban public schools.
As a fundraiser, she has secured over $900M in funding for education and health programs for low-income communities. As a volunteer, Elizabeth serves on Arizona’s Foster Care Review Board, the Amphitheater Public Schools Foundation board of directors, and the loan committee for Growth Partners Arizona. Elizabeth has a degree in nonprofit administration from UMass Amherst and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology.
Susan Barnett, Deputy Editor of Tucson Spotlight
Susan Barnett was born and raised in Tucson, where she works as a journalist. She is the co-founder of Tucson Spotlight and El Foco de Tucso,n where she works to shed light on underreported issues and communities. Susan hopes to fill the void of Spanish-language reporting and bring information to Tucson’s Hispanic community. She previously worked at La Estrella de Tucson, where she was laid off along with two other Latinas, marking the closure of the only Spanish-language newspaper in Tucson. She is now receiving her master’s degree in bilingual journalism from the University of Arizona. She hopes to graduate in May 2025.
Joanna Williams, Executive Director of Kino Border Initiative
Joanna Williams has served at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) since 2015. She was named the Executive Director in March of 2021 and before that worked as the Director of Education and Advocacy for six years. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and received a Master’s in Public Policy from Arizona State University. Prior to joining KBI, she journeyed with immigrants in a variety of contexts. She volunteered at a shelter in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, conducted Fulbright research on the reintegration of deported and return migrants, and worked as a coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Border Litigation Project.