Par Avion

I Will Always Write Back: how one letter changed two lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year.  In 8th grade Caitlin gets a pen pal in Africa because she likes the sound of “Zimbabwe”.  She doesn’t really understand where Martin lives or what his life is about, but she is so excited to have a pen pal.  Caitlin and Martin write each other regularly. Caitlin tells him all about her life in the suburbs of Phila., her trials with her friends, about her pets and her family. Martin shares his life in the slum.  Caitlin misses most of the clues to Martin’s dire circumstances, but eventually she understands he needs money to be able to continue to attend school and she sends him $20.  Twenty dollars goes a long way in Zimbabwe and Martin is able to pay for school and buy some food for his family. Time passes and the situation for Martin’s family gets more desperate. His father loses his job. and there is rampant inflation, the Zimbabwean economy tanks. By this time Caitlin and Martin have forged a strong friendship and Caitlin wants to do more to help Martin and his family.  Soon, Caitlin’s mother gets involved and things begin to really improve for Martin.

Without giving away the ending, Caitlin and Martin remain close and an important part of each other’s lives today. The message: we need to make our worlds smaller.  The book is written at a fairly low level; I think that was done to widen the appeal. It’s a book every student should read;  it’s powerful and uplifting.  We can accomplish so much with so little and in doing so make a huge difference in another person’s life.