I Will Always Write Back

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Caitlin was in the 7th grade, her English teacher had the class pick a country and compose a pen pal letter. Caitlin wanted to pick a radically different culture and thought that Zimbabwe sound exotic and faraway. In Africa, Martin’s class received 10 letters and only the top of the 50 kids in his class were able to receive one. Martin was one of those kids and was handed Caitlin’s letter from the United States. Martin wrote back. Caitlin wrote back. The two continued to write back about daily life. It wasn’t until Caitlin finally understood how Martin was living that it all turned around and sealed their friendship forever. Martin didn’t want to bother Caitlin with the burden of his living conditions or his country’s economic conditions becoming worse or his father getting laid off from his job, but when Martin’s education was being threaten, he felt he had no other alternative to let Caitlin and her family inside his world. Without a hint or hesitation, Caitlin and her mom funded Martin’s education in Zimbabwe and did the necessary footwork to find him a scholarship to get him to the U.S. to reach his dreams. Throughout everything, Martin and Caitlin remained the best of friends.

I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda is an amazing story of two incredibly different people who crossed each other’s path and changed their destinies forever. Caitlin’s family saved Martin and his family from the deteriorating conditions in Zimbabwe and kept them all alive. Martin saved Caitlin by letting her see that the world is much bigger than a $100 pair of jeans or another trip to the mall. I highly recommend I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda to every pre-teen and teenager. It really gives the reader a sense of the things that are truly important.

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