How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water

Those of you elders who fondly remember The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, by Leo Rosten, a delightful book featuring the trials of a Jewish immigrant learning English, will thoroughly enjoy this one! Our heroine, fifty five year old Cara Romero, escaped domestic violence in the Dominican Republic to an apartment building in Washington Heights, NYC, and is working with a career counselor to improve her English and to find a better paying job. However, Cara already HAS a job, and a very important one: to be the building mother for all her friends and relations - to support them and to simultaneously make them crazy. She's a glorious character, and every one of the twelve chapters holds an incredible adventure for Cara and for the show more reader, spiced with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. show less

What I loved about this the most was the voice of the narrator, Cara Romero. Prior to now I might have expected to lose patience with a book consisting of straight monologue, with only the occasional government document or rent invoice to mix things up. Not only did I not lose patience, I enjoyed (more or less) every minute. Which leads me to my second favorite aspect of this book - and that is -

191 pages. Not an overly drawn-out explanation or an unnecessary adverb to be found. A publisher might have said "Hey, any chance you could just throw a couple extra words in here and there, it would be great if this could get to say 210 pages." And Angie Cruz said, "No."

3.5*** rounded up

Cara Romero is in her mid-fifties and expected to work the rest of her life in the factory that made “little lamps.” But the Great Recession closed the factory and now she is struggling to find work. Cara tells her life story in a series of sessions with a job counselor.

What an interesting way to tell this story! The reader comes to know Cara through her
monologues, interspersed with copies of job notices, psychological and interest assessments, and forms she has completed.

Here is a woman who has always worked, and whom life has not treated kindly. She has been married to a violent man, has struggled to provide for her child, and was abused by her own mother. Yet she has continued to move forward with perseverance. show more She has shown kindness, even generosity, to her “found family” in her apartment complex. And yet, she has also managed to turn her only child out, though she desperately wants to reconcile.

There are times when I wanted to laugh at her antics and her odd logic. Yet, I could not help but empathize with her and her situation. And though I often winced at some of her actions, I was cheering her on throughout. I’ve known women like Cara. Women who have been knocked down but who get up and try again. Women who make the best with the cards life has dealt them. Women who express their gratitude, friendship and love through the foods they cook for others. How can I help but love such a woman.

Several of my book club buddies listened to the audio version and they raved about it. I read it in the text version but am considering getting the audio to experience “Cara’s voice.” show less

In Cuba, my parents’ homeland, there’s an extreme useful expression: to drown in a glass of water. It means someone melting down at the least little thing. Obviously, the expression exists in the Dominican Republic, because 56-year-old Cara Romero, Dominican-born but now living in New York City’s Washington Heights, uses it in this eye-opening, humorous novel by Angie Cruz.

It's 2009, the era of the Great Recession, and Cara lost her job in 2007 when her factory fired everyone, closed and moved to Costa Rica. She’s been trying to find work ever since, but the unemployment rate has peaked at 10 percent. Cara has been set to meet with a job counselor, “an educated Dominicana,” for 12 sessions of job training. During the show more sessions, we learn a lot about Cara Romero’s complicated life.

In those sessions, I loved Cara’s insights and her history and her flaws, which include a serious lack of self-awareness. Narrators Rossmery Almonte and Kimberly M. Wetherell turn the novel into a play of sorts; I could not stop listening, laughing and crying. But the novel really made me realize how much I could learn from Cara and her neighbors. The audiobook edition is the only way to enjoy this five-star masterpiece. If only I could give it six stars! show less

Delightful story that is essentially a long monologue over 4 mos. as Cara Romero meets for 12 sessions with a job counselor through the Senior Workforce Program in order to secure her unemployment checks after the factory she worked in closed. These sessions become more like true counseling as chatterbox Cara pours out her life story and her heart. A few job opportunities are scattered in, but according to the advice of the pay-for-news psychic Cara trusts, these are not for her. She is an immigrant from DR and has been in the US for about 30 years, having arrived with only her infant son and a small amount of money, and a tremendous will to survive and succeed. She left behind an abusive husband and a horrible mother. Now she lives in show more a rent-controlled apt. where her sister and family also reside, and her best friend/frenemy Lulu, and a cast of other characters that look out for each other - and Cara especially looks out for them. She is estranged from her son, Fernando, whom we surmise is gay and that is just one example of the challenges she has had integrating her old ways with the new ways of America in 2008. The recession of that time period figures in and the book has a subtle way of showing the plight of immigrants and those living below the poverty level - and the bureaucratic nightmare they face, as well as punishing late fees or interest rates that make if very hard (Cara needs a miracle, but always believes she will get one!) to dig out and advance in our society. Initially, Cara is a little (very little) reticent to talk: "This is why I prefer not to talk, because if you don't talk, it is more easy to forget things of life." (29) but that resolves doesn't last long and talking (and crying) becomes the default of her sessions, and she uses the term 'desahogarme: to undrown, to cry until you don't need to cry no more.' (35) For her many sorrows, Cara has just as much optimism. She is a unique character to remember and treasure. show less

Wow. I'm absolutely blown away by this gem of a book. "How Not To Drown In a Glass of Water" is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful novel that explores the complexities of family relationships, trauma, and identity. It's also a quick read, full of thought-provoking stories that made me think deeply about how our society operates.

Cara is a lovable and vibrant character with a distinctive storytelling style that allowed me a glimpse into a life of love, loss, and so many hard-won lessons. Cara's conversations are filled with great advice, and the book serves as a reminder that love, family, and friends are the greatest riches, even in times of hardship and disappointment. This book is brimming with heart and originality and is show more among the best I've read in a long time. show less

Audiobook; 5/5
Book: 4.5/5

After losing her factory job during the recession, fifty-six-year-old Cara Romero meets with a job counselor as part of The Senior Workforce Program to qualify for continuation of her unemployment benefits and also receive assistance in finding new employment.

Over the course of twelve sessions with her job counselor, Cara shares her life story (and her thoughts and feelings about the significant people and events in her life ) in bits and pieces in mostly one-sided conversations. A Dominican immigrant and legal resident of the United States who came to the country with her son, she has worked hard to provide for her family while navigating through the trials and tribulations of life as an immigrant in her show more adopted country. Even though she has her share of difficulties- unemployed with no health insurance, having had to pay for recent surgery and unable to make rent (gentrification knocking on the door of her rent-stabilized apartment) and is estranged from her son and her relationships with her sister Angela and her friend Lulu continue to have their fair share of ups and downs - Cara’s indomitable spirit, confidence, kind-heartedness and wisdom are awe-inspiring. Through it all, she remains a loyal friend, a dutiful sister, a concerned mother and a caregiver to those who need her help.

“Desahogar: to undrown, to cry until you don’t need to cry no more.”

While Cara’s story is narrated in the first person, other details are shared through the paperwork she files through the course of the program which makes for some interesting reading! Beautifully–written and thought-provoking, with humor, a whole lot of heart and an endearing protagonist whose story will make you smile, sob, laugh out loud and cheer her on, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz is a short but impactful and memorable read that I would definitely recommend. I paired my reading with the brilliant audio narration by Rossmery Almonte and Kimberly M. Wetherell, for an immersive experience that I did not want to end. show less