How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

"I really enjoyed this book! Written in the 1st person, it follows Cara, a Dominican woman living in the states, as she attends sessions at a program that helps older people rejoin the work face. During these sessions she rambles about her life, present and past. The lovely thing about it is her familiar style of language, English with a mix of Spanish, with even her dialectical pronunciations being mixed in. I wish there were more books that explored this style of voice!!"

"The story of Cara Romero, who after losing her factory job has to go to mandatory sessions to help her find a job. Each session actually becomes about her talking about her life from her childhood, her fleeing the Dominican Republic and living in New York, raising her son, and the community she has formed living in Washington Heights. It was a beautifully told story with a lot of pain and realizations as she tells her story. The audiobook was fantastic! Highly recommend this book. "

"This is by far my favorite audiobook. I had to keep reminding myself that Cara wasn’t a real person because all I kept saying was, “Cara, WHAT?!” The story was so funny and I loved the realistic elements in the audiobook that made it feel more conversational. Cara was funny, she was loving, she’s been through A LOT, but she was also flawed. I loved that she got a little taste of a happy ending. The author gave a funny spin to a story about a woman who immigrated to the U.S. to flee a violent past and found a family in the neighbors in her building. 5 ⭐️’s for the audiobook version."

"Very well done story about a 50+year old immigrant woman from the Dominican Republic living in the Washington Hts neighborhood of NY looking for a job after the factory she has worked in for 25 years has closed and moved to Costa Rica. She has started job training and has been instructed to go to 12 job readiness interviews (which is how many chapters the book is broken into) but Cara Romero doesn’t stick to just answering the questions asked and we learn all about her skills that aren’t asked about on a job application as she tells the story of her life. Cara’s story touches on so many things- motherhood, family, found family, the hardships of the immigrant experience, healthcare challenges, & how many skills Cara possesses but they don’t help qualify her for a higher paying job. Cara is a passionate character but not a victim or a complainer. Cara just tells it like it is and it’s upsetting to see a light shown on how it is for so many & that it’s a surprise even for her job caseworker. The audiobook to this is very well done with one voice for Cara and one for the few times the job counselor can get a word in to ask the application questions. LoL I highly recommend the audiobook 🎧"

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️... I loved this book. My first book for Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month. It's a beautiful, funny story about an immigrant woman and her life. It was so relatable I found myself understanding this dominican woman but also so upset at her actions and her reminding me of my own mother. As a child of immigrant parents it hits home so much. The writing was so good. It's character driven and I recommend the audiobook 100% the narrator embodies the character so well."

"Una historia maravillosa de una mujer dominicana inmigrante que vive en New York, ha trabajado 30 años en una fábrica y la despiden. Va a 12 sesiones para conseguir trabajo y le cuenta su vida entera a la persona asignada de su caso. No puedes evitar enamorarte de Cara Romero 5/5"

"Listening to what ostensibly 12 monologues made this feel like a one-woman play that covers the gamut of emotions while portraying the life of a middle-age immigrant mother."

"A unique narrative that definitely pulls the heart strings"

"cara is MESSY and complicated and i love her sm"

"I was confused as I started reading this book. It was told in a first person narrative, by Cara Romero, but it is like she is talking directly to the reader. “You know, oh you don’t know…” I wasn’t sure about it. But as I continued with Cara’s story, I was excited to see what she had to say. It resulted in a story of self discovery and learning about the difficulties that Cara has faced and is currently facing as she looks for a new career after her factory relocated from New York City to Cuba. I wasn’t sure what Angie Cruz had in store for this book, but I am so glad I took a chance on it and I really did love it. I highly recommend this. "