Una vez fui tú: Mi vida entre el amor y el odio en los Estados Unidos

by María Hinojosa

“Maria’s perspective is powerful and vital. Years ago, when In the Heights was just starting off-Broadway, Maria got the word out to our community to support this new musical about our neighborhoods. She has been a champion of our triumphs, a critic of our detractors, and a driving force to right the wrongs our society faces. When Maria speaks, I’m ready to listen and learn.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda

Emmy Award–winning journalist and anchor of NPR’s Latino USA, Maria Hinojosa, tells the story of immigration in America through her family’s experiences and decades of reporting, painting an unflinching portrait of a country in crisis.

Maria Hinojosa is an award-winning journalist who has collaborated with the most respected networks and is known for bringing humanity to her reporting. In this beautifully-rendered memoir, she relates the history of US immigration policy that has brought us to where we are today, as she shares her deeply personal story. For thirty years, Maria Hinojosa has reported on stories and communities in America that often go ignored by the mainstream media. Bestselling author Julia Alvarez has called her “one of the most important, respected, and beloved cultural leaders in the Latinx community.”

In Once I Was You, Maria shares her intimate experience growing up Mexican American on the south side of Chicago and documenting the existential wasteland of immigration detention camps for news outlets that often challenged her work. In these pages, she offers a personal and eye-opening account of how the rhetoric around immigration has not only long informed American attitudes toward outsiders, but also enabled willful negligence and profiteering at the expense of our country’s most vulnerable populations—charging us with the broken system we have today.

This honest and heartrending memoir paints a vivid portrait of how we got here and what it means to be a survivor, a feminist, a citizen, and a journalist who owns her voice while striving for the truth. Once I Was You is an urgent call to fellow Americans to open their eyes to the immigration crisis and understand that it affects us all.

Also available in Spanish as Una vez fui tú.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Biography, Latinx, Race

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

Maria Hinojosa dreamt of a space where she could create independent, multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diverse American experience. She made that dream a reality in 2010 when she created Futuro Media, an independent, nonprofit newsroom based in Harlem, NYC with the mission to create multimedia content from a POC perspective. As Anchor and Executive Producer of the Peabody Award-winning show Latino USA, distributed by NPR, and Co-Host of Futuro Media’s award-winning political podcast In The Thick, Hinojosa has informed millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in America and abroad.

Reviews

[Lupita Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“America has always put forward a public veneer of loving immigrants and their role in this country, but in reality, the underside of immigration, the hidden hatred, and internalized oppression and silence, has made our relationship with the notion of being immigrants much more embattled; a permanent secret war of words and hatred against itself.”

Something that I am relatively new to is the notion that books can give you the language to help explain an emotion or a similar experience you’ve been through. This idea that you can read something in a book & understand something about yourself you didn’t understand before. The negative side of my brain feels embarrassed to admit how new to this idea I am. The side of my brain that tells me I am most likely wrong about a lot of things & that I should stay quiet.

Reading this book I recognized those similar negative voices I hear in my brain. Maria Hinojosa, an Emmy Award-Winning journalist details throughout her memoir all the ways in which she’s had to carve space out for herself as a Latina in mainstream media wanting to report on the untold stories of Americans that the media often wants to ignore. How often she has pushed through similar voices in order to fully step into herself and her true power. A power we all have- the ability to know who we are, where we come from & to never compromise our beliefs for anything or anyone.

There are so many layers in this book. The peeling back of historical information of anti-immigration rhetoric. The peeling back of the reality of where that rhetoric has landed us as a society in our treatment & views of immigrants. How it has contributed to how out of touch most American’s are with what truly is happening right here in our nation. Maria does not shy away from any of what she has witnessed first hand as a journalist. Through her memoir, she shows us that we must remember & grapple with our history & roots.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up! Review to come soon.
TW - sexual assault and rape
-
In her memoir, Maria Hinojosa chronicles her life from her entry into the United States, to becoming a successful journalist who focuses on breaking news and issues relating to immigration and the Latinx community. I had no idea who Hinojosa was prior to reading her memoir, and throughout her story, I was constantly impressed by how tenacious she is in going after what she wants, even as she struggle with imposter syndrome (very relatable!). While this could have been a memoir focused entirely on her career, Hinojosa also blends in the history of immigration policy in the United States. I especially appreciated learning about Hinojosa's early career and some of the issues and events that she covered as a journalist. I didn't know about many seminal events related to Latin America and immigration that occurred in the 1980's and early 90's, so I appreciated learning more about them through Hinojosa's storytelling.

Hinojosa also does not shy away from detailing her personal life, which really helped humanize her incredible story. I appreciated her honesty as she opens up about her experience of sexual assault, and the struggles she faced in her personal relationships, and as a mother. It was really eye-opening to read about her constant fear of having her Green Card taken away—it is something I could never imagine, and I valued her honesty and openness. Hinojosa also mentions some of the struggles she faced when attempting to fit in to a majority white and affluent workplace, which are especially important to consider now as many industries are coming to terms with how welcoming or safe their workplace is.

While I really enjoyed reading about Hinojosa's experiences, I do think the narrative flow is a bit jumpy at times, as Hinojosa struggles to balance her personal life, career, and the historical asides that make up this memoir. At times I was confused about the timeline between events, especially when connecting her career and personal life. Even so, if you are interested in learning about journalism, immigration, or are just interested in learning about Hinojosa's life, then definitely pick this book up! There is a lot to learn here, and I am still in awe of Hinojosa's trailblazing career.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC!

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

History is written by the victors, which means we should question the version of history that has been handed down to us

In Maria Hinojosa’s memoir Once I Was You she is able to tell her story while forcing us to look at the history Mexicans have had with the US. I loved that throughout the memoir she constantly shines a light on the history of the US immigration policy and how deeply unfair it is.
Did you know, “When the US won the Mexican-American War in 1948, Mexico was forced to cede nearly half of its territory- land that later made up California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming- for $15 million as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo” … yeah, I didn’t know this either. I do not need to tell you the austerities continues to this day with how ICE is treating persons who are undocumented.

To say this book is timely would be a lie because what Maria Hinojosa details in her book- as it concerns migration and the treatment of Migrants have been happening since the beginning of time. It is so important that people read books like these that forces us to look the awful history.
I cannot say I have heard about Maria Hinojosa before getting this book, but in reading this blurb my interest was piqued. I love a rich memoir and that is exactly what you get with Once I Was You . Reading about the author’s journey from living in South Side Chicago to being on CNN was nothing short of inspiring. It is clear that she’s got a heart for her country -MEXICO and its people- MEXICANS and it was beautiful to see how she used her platform to create awareness and fight.

I loved how Maria Hinojosa brought us into her life, pulled back the curtains and showed us her deepest hurt, what motivates her and why she continues to fight. A truly beautiful memoir that I will continue to think about for years to come.

Thanks so much Atria Book for sending me this ARC, bless up!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once I was You,,,,no you are not a legally orphaned refugee child, Maria you never were. You entered legally with a parent who was a legal immigrant, with a professional job , not a legally orphaned child because we all know some of these children will never see their parents again,,this child did not and will never have the chance to attend an Ivy League college as you did What else do you have in common?

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take a listen to this podcast that discusses many relevant issues brought up in the book: https://www.inthethick.org/podcast_ep...

I love listening to Latino USA and In the Thick, but this didn't quite deliver the insight into Hinojosa's career that I was hoping for in a memoir.

The through line is Hinojosa's journey to America as a baby when her father, a renowned doctor, is recruited by University of Chicago to bring his expertise to the lab. The catch? He had to become an American citizen and give up his Mexican citizenship. There was a time when America did welcome immigrants, but even as an American, Hinojosa's father is always seen as "other" and never given an opportunity to move up in the university's hierarchy. He is never given a solid salary and instead relies on grants to fund his research.

Hinojosa takes her journey as an immigrant and follows the laws that have become so divided by the current political climate. This is a fact: Reagan and George Sr. passed sweeping legislation that actually opened up immigration quotas and expanded the number of immigrants allowed in. The key? It was politically beneficial to their agendas. Once 9/11 happened, immigration became synonymous with terrorism. And that hasn't changed.

I guess my takeaway from the book is that I know a lot more about immigration policy and the monetization of the places that hold immigrants. I also better understand the need to play to the fears of Americans that "the other" that doesn't look white is invasive and will overtake the dominant race. That's a real fear as evidenced by the toxic rhetoric of Tucker Carlson.

It's hard to move away from the belief that one group is better than another: colonialism 101.

Anyway, all that is to say that Hinojosa doesn't always make the strong link to her own journalism journey (which is what I was most interested to learn). I wanted to be a journalist and I wish I had been aware of Hinojosa's work when I started college. It may have changed my academic trajectory.

[Oscreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It definitely has its moments and I’m grateful for the new things I’ve learned while reading this book.

Full Review Coming Soon...

[Marlene Alva · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was shockingly bad--poorly written, riddled with errors and reeking righteous arrogance. Maria Hinojosa had a privileged upbringing in an academic setting; she is unable to point to a single instance of discrimination she experienced as a child, and yet she honestly sees herself among the abused and downtrodden. This pattern is repeated throughout the book. She was not present in the towers on 9/11, but she writes as if she were. She identifies with the victims of Nazism but obviously was not among them. Even the title of the book--which conflates what her mother told her about their arrival in the US when the author was a year old with the actual horrors visited upon and experienced by a young immigrant girl--shows a lack of honesty and awareness that is almost pathological.
Another aspect of the book which I found deeply disturbing was the shoddy research. The errors ranged from the significant (the port of Mariel is in Cuba, not in Key West, and the difference is important) to the mildly exaggerated (it was very hot on her wedding day, but not 105 degrees). Footnotes are mixed up (see #25 and #24) and the "sources" are often unreliable. In addition, the "writing" struck me as simply the result of a lengthy stream of consciousness dictation, complete with unnecessary vulgarities and misplaced clauses, rather than a considered reflection on the issues around immigration. It needed a strong editorial hand, which it obviously did not have.
Finally, the concept of the book itself is bizarre--a mixture of the author's embellished personal story with meandering reflections on immigration. I cannot recommend this book.

[Esosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this memoir, Hinojosa breaks down her journey to becoming an award winning journalist; her initial struggle with her identity as a Mexican American; and the heartbreaking realities of the U.S immigration crisis.

I LOVED the first half of this book - I was completely hooked by Hinojosa’s story, her writing and the structure of storytelling were just so captivating to me. I also really appreciated her unbiased approach to many of the issues discussed. The immigration crisis covered in this book spans many past U.S governments and presidents and her demand for accountability and justice is the same throughout.

In the last 100 pages or so of this book, it felt like the structure of the writing changed. The content was still very informative but the stories and people were not connecting in the same way as previous parts of the book which kind of threw me off a little.

Overall though, this is a very enlightening and inspiring memoir. Definitely recommend this one if you’re interested in journalism, politics or U.S immigration studies.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC!

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America
by Maria Hinojosa

The author of this book is a world-renowned journalist who has helped reshape the journalistic community by not standing in the shadows or the places she was directed to stay. Maria Hinojosa is fierce, hard-headed and determined to say what she thinks and to shine light on uncomfortable topics. Real happenings many would like to ignore. Not think about. Not care about. By seeking out the unheard voices, untold stories, unseen inequity she has changed how we think over the years through her journalism. By writing this book, she has given me, a reader, the chance to see things I didn’t know had been hidden from me. She has opened a new door, changing how I think about immigration. Once I Was You pulls no punches. Maria Hinojosa says her truth fiercely and with an edge that cuts. Yet, as part memoir, this book also presents tender considerations, confessed fallibility, hard-won victories and fails that become opportunities for change.

Owning her right to speak / sing / shout with the voice of and advocate on behalf of all immigrants, she also carries forward and shares with passion and persistent petition all the outrageous ways, substandard practice and cruel methods America has employed in their interactions with brown immigrants specifically, and all immigrants generally. She has witnessed these over her long career and life in America firsthand, often so close and personal that scars remain. Immigrants – tossed and tumbled - in these United States, are weary with the pain and suffering of centuries. I will re-read this book. There is much to digest, consider and compare. Some changes happen slowly, and while others are lightening fast. In some ways we gain ground for restoring respect and real civil rights, and in others we go back to medieval practices of war. Of course one book doesn’t do it. The only way to get to what’s truth, what’s real, is to hear as many voices as possible. I highly recommend this book as one such voice. A voice that urgently needs to be heard.


A Sincere Thanks to Maria Hinojosa, Atria Books, and NetGalley
#OnceIWasYou #NetGalley,

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing relatable about a woman who so easily obtained her residency and lived shrouded in privilege and a young girl being trafficked by the United States government. This book is awful.

[booksandbark · Rating 4 out of 5]

María Hinojosa knows that storytelling is political. She often writes that she wants to tell human stories, stories featuring the lives and struggles of real people. And that’s exactly what she’s done: over the course of a prolific career, she has given voice to the most marginalized among us, especially Latinx Americans. At NPR, CNN, and her own nonprofit news organization, Futuro Media, she has continually fought to tell the stories of immigrants, while facing discrimination and backlash herself. In Once I Was You, however, it is her own story—as an immigrant, a survivor, and a Latina—that is on full display.

Hinojosa’s memoir covers a broad swath of her life, from her journey to the United States from Mexico at three years old to her current reporting on the border crisis. Her personal story is interspersed with cutaways to U.S. immigration history. Although it often reads as a blow-by-blow of her life—her first (white) boyfriend, move-in day at Barnard College, fights with her husband—what is most compelling about Hinojosa’s story is her own struggle to tell it.

While Hinojosa is a prolific and talented woman who has hustled throughout her life, balancing jobs and stories with kids and family, she recounts facing pushback at every stage in her career as a journalist. At the same time she was winning awards for her coverage of Latinx life in America with CNN, she was belittled and pushed off air in favor of younger, prettier, whiter anchors. While she was gaining national recognition for her groundbreaking radio show, Latino USA, NPR consistently tried to cancel it, and silence her voice, in favor of “less niche” shows.

Her story is a stark reminder that even those who uplift and amplify the voices of the marginalized are not exempt from a culture that devalues women, people of color, and immigrants. For Hinojosa, preserving her journalistic voice meant founding her own news organization to ensure Latino USA‘s future when major media outlets refused to renew it.

However, this much-needed narrative is lost in many parts of the book. Storylines about Hinojosa’s father and family, reporting on the border crisis, and strained marriage trail off or pop in seemingly out of nowhere. U.S. immigration history, too, makes an appearance every once in a while, choppily occupying the last ten or fifteen pages of a chapter that was otherwise deeply focused on Hinojosa’s personal life. The book’s title, Once I Was You, also falls a little flat: while Hinojosa positions herself in parallel to the young children detained at the border, her position as the daughter of a college professor, a documented immigrant, and a member of the middle class ensured her privileges that were never available to many of those kids.

Despite its flaws, Once I Was You is required reading for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of intersectional, human-focused storytelling. It’s the memoir of a living legend and a trailblazer in her field. Go read it.

I was honored to receive an advance review copy courtesy of the publisher, Atria Books. I am also a student at Columbia College, the sibling school of Barnard College, where Prof. Hinojosa teaches. Neither of these factors has affected my opinion of the book.

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Hinojosa's book, "ONCE I WAS YOU: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America" is an honest, poignant, and forthright story of Maria Hinojosa's lifelong odyssey, her career as a journalist now spanning 4 decades, and the failure of America to develop a truly humane immigration policy along the U.S./Mexico border over the past century.

I first became aware of Maria Hinojosa and her work 20 years ago as a National Public Radio (NPR) listener. She always brought a perspective on people, the U.S., and the world largely overlooked in the conventional U.S. news media that I found intriguing and compelling. I also followed her later work as an investigative journalist with the PBS news program 'NOW.' If anything, Maria Hinojosa is representative of the type of journalist America needs more than ever nowadays, to point out our failures to live up to our democratic ideals as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution so that we can recommit ourselves to forming "a More Perfect Union", while speaking truth to power, and celebrating what is positive, life affirming, and beautiful about America. That is, its cultural diversity and its ability to embrace "its better angels" and scorn the darkness.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was really, really hard. Reliving the last several decades of abuse and atrocities perpetrated against immigrants by the US government was hard. Especially in the current political climate where it is very difficult to find any path to hope. I finished this book on the day Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. The confluence of federal government immigration abuses and atrocities plus the complete and utter ineptitude of COVID response all piled on top of the end of any hope for any court protections for the marginalized or our"democracy" itself is heavy. Hinojosa rightly says that immigration is not only the story of her life but has only gotten worse and worse as she has covered it. May this be the turning point, both for our democracy and for US immigration policy. Hinojosa is a fighter of the calibre of RBG: thank you for everything you have done in your career. Si se puede.

[Nidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC through the Goodreads giveaway, my opinions are my own.

******

Maria Hinojosa is a beautiful, talented writer skillfully weaving her own history with the history of immigration in the United States.

In the book Maria Hinojosa paints a vivid picture of living as an immigrant in the United States. She revels in the love and beauty that comes when immigrants from across the world come together. She fondly describes the community her family found with other immigrants in Chicago and later her joy over ranchera music that signaled the arrival of Mexicans in NYC. At the same time she unflinchingly relates the struggles and injustices faced by that same group then and now. It's easy to dismiss reports that are filled with numbers but Hinojosa literally adds a human element to the data. She tells the story of the actual people behind the data and so restores the humanity that systems of power have historically worked to try to strip away. I loved the addition of these stories, the happy and the tragic, showing the many dimensions of humanity and what is at stake when that common humanity is ignored.

As she sets out to tell the story about her personal life and career, Hinojosa's telling of her experiences is pure, raw honesty. She lays bare the insecurities that haunted her, traumas that plagued her, and love that saved her. These portions of her book, where she is so visibly struggling with culture and career, were especially powerful for me as a first generation Mexican-American. I related strongly to the struggles with self-esteem, imposter syndrome, and the need to prove worthy of parents' sacrifices as well as of one’s heritage. To see her be so vulnerable about such an intimate part of herself, and then see her swallow her fear time and again, was SO inspiring and meaningful for me. Reading these parts of her memoir was like seeing a reflection of myself that I didn't know I was looking for.

I HIGHLY recommend Once I Was You to everyone. I already know that this will be a book I return to again and again for the rest of my life. There is truly something to be said about books finding you at the precise moment you need them.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Lazarus must be churning in her grave and I’m boiling with anger. This exposé of the United States history of immigration is appalling - certainly doesn’t make me proud to be an American! I’ve been aware of how all newcomers to our country were persecuted, but to read about it page after page makes it monumental.

From the Chinese railroad slaves, the Japanese internment camps, turning away ships at NewYork harbor filled with Jews trying to escape Hitler, Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro, Central/South Americans barely escaping murderous Dictatorships, Mexicans yearning for a better life, Muslims labeled as terrorists, the US greeted all these people with hate and prejudice rather that love and compassion. Remember the founding fathers were immigrants. My grandparents and my mother came to this country from the UK in the late 1920’s, guess it’s a good thing they were white! Shame on the USA.

My impression of the author is ambivalent- very full of herself. Smart, yes - successful, yes - attractive, not very. Why is she so unhappy? She came to this country at one year old, sanctioned and with a green card. She wasn’t crammed in a stifling van to the border nor did she swim across the Rio Grande. She seemed to have a privileged childhood but throughout her life she maintains her inferiority complex.

Why she wrote passages and some words in Spanish is beyond me - it distracted me as I tried to translate. We know she’s a Latina so it wasn’t necessary.

I knocked off star because of a few errors that an editor should have caught - a chickadees isn’t yellow and Social Security numbers are 9 not 10. Also, referring to William Colby’s second wife as his secretary made her sound like a bimbo - she wasn’t, actually she was an American diplomat. There were other little nuances that made me question their validity.

All in all it was very thought provoking and well written. I feel I have a clearer understanding of DREAMers, DACA and their hardships and immigration on a whole. TEAR DOWN THAT WALL and welcome these beleaguered people.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of Maria Hinojosa before reading this memoir, but I wanted to learn more about the history of immigration in the US, and she made sure I did. I had no idea how bad things had been during even recent Democratic administrations (Clinton's and Obama's), since I only became aware of many of the horrible policies during the Trump administration--kids in cages, family separation, Muslim ban, Build the Wall, etc. Yes, Trump and his ilk took it to the next level, but the US has had cruel immigration policies for a long, long time. I am ashamed of my home country.

I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author, and it was good to hear it in her own voice. She switches back and forth between English and Spanish so seemlessly, I would never have known she was Mexican (other than her name) if she hadn't spoken any Spanish. I found her life story engaging, but I was a little surprised that she felt the imposter syndrome so strongly for so long, given her journalistic success working for NPR, CNN, and other major media outlets. Her family was much more comfortable than that of so many immigrants so she led a life of privilege in many ways. But even so, she fought to tell the stories and raise awareness of those who had much less than her family. Her caring about the Latin-X community shown through in every chapter, and she continues to tell their stories and raise awareness of their plight. This book was definitely an eye-opener for me, and while a little dry in parts (history was never my favorite subject), overall, I enjoyed it.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this back in September, and though I spent the entirety of the audiobook rapt with immense interest in Hinojosa's story— I cannot summarize it in a way that would in any way be comparable to the work itself. I highly recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in immigration to give this a read. Her words are powerful and supported by a lifetime of journalism and firsthand experience with prejudice.

I gifted a copy to my Puerto Rican grandmother and she read it in just a couple of days. I could use my hands to count how many books she's read in my recent memory and still have fingers leftover. My point is, this book meant something to her. When I spoke with my grandmother about how much she loved reading about Hinojosa, she admitted she was already going to go back and reread the first chapter. Though being born in Puerto Rico is to be an American, my grandmother still, after 50 years of living in the continental US, has a strong accent. She'd be easily picked out in conversation as Other. And Hinojosa's life, though a far different experience than my grandmother's, provides a beacon to anyone who has ever been treated as less human for living here while not outwardly appearing to be "enough" of an American. It's a lesson that unfortunately still has to be taught today: America IS for anybody, everybody. It's the hate that tries to close off a whole nation to new citizens that should have no safe place here anymore.

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Hinojosa's memoir explores her life on two levels. On a personal level, you read about her childhood, coming to the US from Mexico, growing up and more. On a separate level, you see her examination of issues related to immigration and US and Mexican policies -- something she has devoted much of her professional career as a journalist to covering. The personal story was compelling and heartfelt and I appreciated her discussion of imposter syndrome and how she often felt in professional settings. Her experiences as a journalist, though, were absolutely what kept me turning the pages. She focused much of her career on telling the stories that were right in front of you, but often invisible because no one else was looking to tell that story. She reported extensively in the US, Mexico, and Central America and I learned a great deal about US policies and immigration from her writing. The intersection of the personal and professional are what makes Hinojosa stand out in the crowd of other memoirs -- seeing her personal experiences and how it influenced what she was interested in reporting on and seeing what she reported on and how it influenced her personal experiences and relationships made this an engaging and thought provoking read.

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel ambivalent about this book. It has two themes which the author tries to make into one. First it is the memoir of Maria Hinojosa, who looks at her career as Mexican-American journalist. She talks about her struggles with self-doubt and her focus on her career to the detriment of her family. In the second part of the book, she talks about the immigration system in the US and how it has changed over the years. She has PTSD from observing the torture of immigrants in our detention centers. She describes nauseating conditions of detained immigrants, showing the similarities between the German treatment of the Jews and the treatment of the immigrants. Many are forced to be in cold buildings or tents without adequate heat and food. Many women are raped. Men are beaten and chained.

I felt her writing about the immigrants is powerful. I did get tired of reading about her privileged life after a while, especially when she tried to equate her life with those in American concentration camps and prisons.

[exorcismemily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of María Hinojosa from listening to her podcast In the Thick, and I've always enjoyed hearing from her since then. I was excited to learn she was releasing a memoir, so I got my hands on this one as soon as I could.

There are several different aspects to this book - it's a memoir blended with a historical account of US immigration, and other journalism stories. It's an intense read, and it took me a bit to read all of it. María is so honest and caring, and I appreciate that she decided to share here story with us.

CW - racism, rape, mention of miscarriage, detention center, cancer and death

[Aziza Mehmoudzai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Dari Merced-Calderón · Rating 3 out of 5]

it’s very latina girl boss, but i enjoyed most of it. unique perspective of latinidad methinks (at least different from the hyper christian and oppressive environment most latine’s write about/experience). the theme of immigration was particularly compelling to me, especially when discussing the detention centers. probably the only non fiction book i’ll read this year.

[Rachel Spacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

i feel both seen by this book and have also learned things i didn’t know/couldn’t have even imagined about this country’s immigration policy over the years. our immigration system and the way we treat people is so deeply fucked up. all we can do is learn and write and read stories about it and try to make it better.

maria’s memoir was deeply personal, but also i saw myself in so many of her struggles. some of which i am having at this exact moment: story pageview quotes, white male bosses who don’t value you, being looked down upon, not seeing yourself in leadership roles. and her book taught me to stick up for yourself, in work all you have is yourself, but also that family and taking care of yourself is worth fighting for.

[Esta Montano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Hinojosa is my absolute favorite journalist: I listen to and watch just about everything that she produces. I find her to be inspiring and down to earth. I have learned a lot from her work as she tells stories that lie outside of the mainstream.

I had high expectations for this book but was a little bit disappointed. This book is not quite a memoir: Hinojosa does relate her life experiences and personal history in a compelling way that humanizes her. She relates her struggles breaking into and remaining in her field, and reveals her status as a rape survivor. However, the book is also largely a history of the US in terms of immigration. Parts of this are interesting but much of this drags on and on so that I found myself bored and skimming through these sections.

Hinojosa's writing style is unlike that of many other memoirs that I have read and enjoyed. It is more factual, (perhaps because she is a journalist rather than a novelist), and there is little imagery or other literary techniques to draw the reader in..

[David Brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entitled and inaccurate

To start "Once I Was You" is a horrible title since the authors semi biography tells a tale of her legal entry into the united states as a child and follows through her career and at time goes off for entire chapters about immigration politics that have nothing to do with her story. She experiences wealth, privilege ,entitlement all while trying terribly hard to equate her upper-class "struggle" with those of poverty and hardship. She is not me (the reader), nor is she the illegal immigrants she falsely tries to identify as.
her Story tells the reader that she is right and everyone is wrong. she never does wrong in her eye and expects you to follow her words as if you are a fool.

Simply, Maria Hinojosa's story is one of hypocrisy who's voice wants so badly to carry the story of struggle without living it.

On the plus side it's an easy ready. her writing skills are kind to the flow, even when you don't care for her bloated false equivalents to racism in her life.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria and her family, three siblings; father Raul and mother Berta came to the United States in 1962.

Maria experienced racism on many levels; like bathrooms were marked White...Colored. She auditioned for an acting job. She was told , she wasn't Mexican enough or White enough or tall enough and not short enough. It was hard for her in this land of opportunity living on the Southside of Chicago.
After college she worked for PBS,CBS, WFBH, CNN, and NPR.
Her biggest goal was to be on 60 Minutes. She was told that there was a long line of White guys waiting for the job, but only if someone died or retired.

She wrote this book as a wake up call to the immigration crisis in America and how we are all affected.

This book was voted best Book by NPR, Book Page, Real Simple and by Boston.com readers in 2020 .

I won this free book from Simon and Schuster

[Kodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Hinojosa does a great job of weaving her personal story and journey amongst the broader story of immigration in the U.S. It makes sense with her journalism background that she was able to include important history and facts in a digestible way that helped create a clear picture of how policies and different presidential administrations have deeply impacted the lens through which the U.S. views immigration. I personally felt this before, but have a deeper sense and understanding now, on how badly we need immigration reform.

Note before reading: TW for sexual assault, physical violence, abuse of children, etc.

[Natalie Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A very interesting story told alongside history, especially important events in American Latino history. I was reminded of where we’ve been and how much further we need to go regarding racism, immigration, women’s rights, equal pay, healthcare, etc.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book feels like it’s trying to be three things at once: a memoir; a self-help guide for ambitious women of color, and a radio reporter’s research on the last few decades of immigration. Sadly, I feel the split aim underserves all three.

[MacKenzie Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t tell if this was political nonfiction, a call to action, or memoir. It flipped back and forth in a way that didn’t feel right.

It’s also not good on audio. She narrates the book like it’s a newscast.