Book Review: I Will Always Write Back
I Will Always Write Back is a heartfelt memoir. It’s written by Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch, and Martin Ganda. Together, Caitlin and Martin tell the story of how they became best friends.
Caitlin is a regular American teenage girl. She goes to school and hangs out with her friends at the mall on weekends. She plays sports like field hockey because her friends do, not because she really likes them. She absolutely loves shopping! She lives in a nice house in a nice neighborhood with her parents and older brother. Their family owns three cars. Every day there is plenty of food for everyone and on holidays they can feast. Each year on Christmas, there are so many presents that they spill out from under the tree. Caitlin has never realized how privileged she is.
Martin is a teenage boy from Zimbabwe. He lives in a tiny, one-room house that he shares with his large family and another family in what we would call slums. He knows and understands poverty very well. His family doesn’t always have enough food. It is hard for Martin and his siblings to stay in school because of its cost. However, Martin does very well in school. He dreams of someday going to America to study and become a doctor. Martin often has to work to help support his family. Martin has only one outfit besides his school uniform. His mom has never owned a pair of real shoes. Martin rarely sees cars. In fact, he has never been in a car before.
It all started off as an assignment. Caitlin’s class had to write letters to kids in other countries. She chose to write to a school in Zimbabwe. The name of the country seemed interesting to her. It seemed so different and exciting compared to her ordinary life in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. Caitlin writes a letter introducing herself and explaining some details about her life. She assumes that the student who will receive her letter is similar to herself. She could never have imagined how drastically different Martin’s life would be.
Martin is super excited when he receives Caitlin’s letter. He immediately writes back. They become fast friends. They exchange letters for years. They become so close they view each other as more than just best friends, but more like family. Caitlin and her family have an amazing impact on the lives of Martin and his family. They are able to help them so much.
Overall, I Will Always Write Back is a really interesting and inspiring book. It was really hard to put down. I Will Always Write Back provides unique perspectives about how different it can be to live in faraway places and it inspires people to strive to help and support others regardless of their background.
