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1-Page Summary of I Will Always Write Back

Overview

This book was published in 2016. It is a first edition paperback by Caitlin Alifirenka & Martin Ganda.

I Will Always Write Back is an autobiographical account of Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, who became pen pals while in middle school. The book tells the story of how they met through letters. It’s divided into chapters written by each person, which give a more complete picture. Letters and excerpts from their letters are also included to help tell the story.

When Caitlin was 12, she participated in a pen pal activity. She decided to write to someone in Zimbabwe because it is the last country on the list of countries and she knew little about Africa. She did not know who would receive her letter but felt excited to write it anyway.

A boy named Martin received a letter from Caitlin, who was a friend of his age. Through the letters, they became friends and got to know each other better. They learned about their lives and how different they were. Caitlin was especially upset when Martin told her that he lived in poverty because she had never heard of such hardship before. He explained that he shared one room with his parents and siblings, and slept on the floor under their bed at night.

As Caitlin learned about Martin’s situation, she began sending him money. She also told her parents what was going on and asked them to help out. Her parents not only sent along money, but they also helped Caitlin send care packages with things like toothbrushes, shampoo, and clothing that were hard to find in Zimbabwe at the time. They even sent Reebok t-shirts which were very expensive where Martin lived because there weren’t many stores selling clothes from America. Because of the help from Caitlin and her family, Martin was able to go to a good high school where he worked hard and did well academically.

Eventually, Caitlin and her family helped Martin come to America to study at a college in the area. They helped him get scholarships and find financial aid so he could attend Villanova University. When they finally met each other for the first time, Caitlin and Martin were thrilled because they had been helping each other all along through letters. They both went on to have successful careers after college. Later on, they decided to write a book about their experiences so that others can be inspired by them as well.

Section 0 Summary (Pages 1 – 80)

Part I: Caitlin, a typical American girl from Hatfield in suburban Pennsylvania, was introduced to Zimbabwe by her teacher Mrs. Miller in the seventh grade when her class took on pen pals. Since Caitlin had never heard of it before and wanted to learn more about Africa, she chose Zimbabwe as her pen pal even though it was last on the list. She lived not far from Philadelphia where she hung out at the mall with friends and went to roller skating rinks while smelling like garbage and bacon due to Hatfield Quality Meats nearby. Caitlin had been to Europe before visiting relatives there including one cousin named Carola who struck Caitlin by how different she was compared with those around her back home such as what she ate or how she spoke which opened up new possibilities for Caitlin’s life beyond just Hatfield.

Caitlin was excited because she knew something big was about to happen. She chose to write a letter to someone in Zimbabwe, and her mother explained why it used to be called Rhodesia. Caitlin’s dad worked on government contracts for energy, and he usually came home late at night after dinner. Her brother hung out with friends until dinnertime, but Caitlin got online through America Online (AOL) after dinner and looked up more information about Zimbabwe before writing her first letter there. She wondered what she should write about so she talked a little bit about herself and then asked some questions that would get the conversation going between them.