OUTsider: Crossing Borders, Breaking Rules, Gaining Pride

by Ruth Marimo

Ruth Marimo is an Illegal Immigrant. Born in Zimbabwe, Marimo has traveled the world, gaining insight and deep appreciation for the plight of the illegal immigrant. Sharing firsthand recollections of how her status has been used as a weapon by employers, greedy predators, and even her own husband, she weaves a tale that is both personal and universal. Living as an undocumented immigrant, she details the daily struggles to survive as a health-care worker and to thrive as a wife and mother. Complicating matters, for decades Marimo had denied her true identity as a lesbian woman. OUTsider chronicles the journey of Ruth Marimo, who traveled from Africa to the United States, from abused wife to an out lesbian activist, from a life of fear to one filled with joy. Her trek from the shadows of uncertainty and shame into the bright light of self-acceptance and fulfillment is a story that is richly rewarding and uniquely compelling.

Genres: Memoir

264 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2014

About the author

Ruth Marimo was born and raised in the Southern African country of Zimbabwe. In 1999, at the age of nineteen, she moved to the United States. She is now a thirty-four year old, single, lesbian, African mother of two beautiful children, whose lives were flipped upside down when the man she was married to tried to have her deported. It was while she sat in jail, thinking, wondering, praying and awaiting deportation, that she decided to write her life-story. OUTsider: Crossing Borders. Breaking Rules. Gaining Pride was released April 11, 2014 by Scout Publishing LLC.

Reviews

[Rosy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, Ruth Marimo has endured so much in her lifetime and she is only 34!? I really enjoyed reading her memoir as it touches on so many important issues. She show us what growing up an orphan in Zimbabwe is like, immigrating to America and living without legal status, mothering two children, being thrown in prison and almost deported by her abusive husband, and coming out as lesbian. I mean, wow, what a story! I recommend it for anyone to read, as I believe everyone is effected by one of these issues either directly or indirectly.

[Grace Blechschmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5
a very important book and themes of living undocumented in the us and the ways people can use status as a means of control.
the narration sometimes took me out of it a bit, including a lot of details on things that didn't seem important and sometimes making blanket statements for queer people, black americans, women, or immigrants was giving liberal rather than leftist. overall though, this is Ruth's story and she has told it as she saw fit and it's a necessary story to be told

[Mariam Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

Ruth has gone through so much in her life and still she rose up, acknowledged and accepted all that the world of life has to offer and became more than she seemed to have imagined. I am grateful for her writing this book and exposing herself to the world. She has taught me perseverance and to be steadfast in what I believe...she has taught me truth.

[Mark Weddleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read

Marimo's memoir is both deeply personal and powerfully universal for those who experience systemic discrimination. This is a compelling read.