The 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.
Book Review:
Coming from the point of view, of a person with many penpals, this book really spoke to me, from the very beginning. I certainly wasn't disappointed.
The cultural and economic differences are beautifully represented from the discussion of schools, jobs, customs, all of the way to what the letters are written on. Caitlin, comes from a white family in the United States, with insane amounts of money in the eyes of Martin. Martin comes from a large family in economic despair from third world Zimbabwe. The laws in their countries are different. Their money exchange rates are different. Their school systems are very different. But these two kids, have so much in common. They both love their families and even value their education.
The book starts our fairly slow as you get to know the two people through their letters and the author's commentary on what they were feeling throughout the waiting periods between letters. Once the book reaches the point where Caitlin is incessantly worried about the friend that she hasn't heard from who is living in a country that is all over the US news due to its economic despair, things pick up a little. I got to the point where I just wanted Martin to be okay, even though I knew he would, as he wrote this book years later, and I wanted Caitlin to be able to save him from his situation.
I really loved how supportive Caitlin's family was of her communication with Martin and I especially loved how much they wanted to help Martin and his family when the time came. The amount of stress that family had to go through in order to help these people that they cared about so much, but whom they have never met, was incredible. It restored a small portion of my faith in humanity.
I especially loved hearing about how successful Caitlin and Martin have become and the roles that they continue to play in each other's lives. I think that is the most important part of the book. My penpals mean so much to me and I believe that I do to them as well. Meeting them would be one of the biggest moments in my life, but even if I hadn't met them, if they were ever in need of my help, I would jump borders, commit crimes, spend all of my money,and do whatever I could to help them.
Pages: 400 Rate: 5/5
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