Ruth Marimo

Born ≈ 1980 (Zimbabwe)

Her book Freedom of an Illegal Immigrant, 2012, was based on letters she wrote to her children while incarcerated at the Cass County Jail in Plattsmouth. She arrived in Omaha in 1999 on a travel visa, but stayed to work because of unrest in Zimbabwe. She eventually married, in part to settle her immigration status, but her husband abused her and eventually got her jailed after turning her in as an illegal immigrant. She wrote her memoir after she managed to get released, divorced, obtained permanent resident status and embraced her lesbian sexual orientation.

She maintains an eponymous website, and describes herself as a motivational speaker, author, and activist. She continues to write autobiography and poetry.

Places Lived

Zimbabwe
Omaha, NE

Author Of

Nonfiction
Other
Poetry

Keywords

Memoir or Autobiography; African-American; Illegal Immigrants; Omaha, Nebraska; Domestic Abuse

Bibliography

Freedom of an Illegal Immigrant: The Untold Story of My Search for a Place in the World. 2012.
OUTsider: Crossing Borders. Breaking Rules. Gaining Pride. 2014.

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