I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives

Alifirenka, Caitlin and Martin Ganda. I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives. 2015. 392p. ISBN 978-0-316-24131-1. Available as an audiobook and as an eBook on Overdrive.

Caitlin is from Pennsylvania and leads a typical teenage girl’s life. Her parents own a house, they have two cars, and Caitlin’s favorite activities are collecting earrings and shopping. At the beginning of her seventh grade year, her English teacher gives every student the opportunity to a country for a pen pal. Caitlin selects Zimbabwe because it is exotic and different than everyone else, who select countries in Europe. She writes a first letter, and sends it in the mail.

In Zimbabwe, Martin Ganda is the smartest student in his grade. With fifty students to a classroom, Martin gets to sit upfront. The school only has a few textbooks that are kept by the teachers, but Martin nevertheless excels. When Caitlin’s letter arrives, Martin is assigned to write her back.

What began as a passing interest for both of them grows and blossoms into an enduring friendship. When Caitlin discovers that Martin’s family is starving due to unemployment and poor economic conditions, she enlists her family to help. Over the course of several years both families grew closer, with the goal of bringing Martin to the United States to study medicine at a university. A true tale of friendship and dedication, Caitlin and Martin’s story will inspire the reader to make a positive difference in the world.