I Will Always Write Back:
How One Letter Changed Two Lives
by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch
“A little miracle of unexpected genuineness.”
The New York Times bestselling true story of an all-American girl and a boy from Zimbabwe and the letter that changed both of their lives forever.
It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin’s class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen-pal letter.
There were only ten letters, and fifty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one.
That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.
In this compelling dual memoir, Caitlin and Martin recount how they became best friends—and better people—through their long-distance exchange. Their story will inspire you to look beyond your own life and wonder about the world at large and your place in it.
– Little Brown Young Readers, April 2015
New York Times Best Seller
REVIEWS
“The remarkable tenacity of these two souls pulled like magnets across the world by their opposite polarities - one committed to helping, the other to surviving - is deeply affecting...It’s quite a little miracle of unexpected genuineness.”
– New York Times Book Review
“Sensitively and candidly demonstrating how small actions can result in enormous change, this memoir of two families’ transformation through the commitment and affection of long-distance friends will humble and inspire.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A well-written, accessible story that will open Western adolescents’ eyes to life in developing countries. Told in the first person, with chapters alternating between Caitlin's and Martin’s points of view, this title effectively conveys both of these young people’s perspectives...a strong and inspiring story...and an eye-opening look at life in another culture.”
– School Library Journal
“This heart-warming memoir will inspire readers to open their eyes to other cultures and realize that even the smallest of gestures can be important.”
– School Library Connection