Connection, concern, and vulnerability warm every page of the letters Francis, a teacher of English language learners in North Carolina, writes to some of her former students from Latin American countries. The young people are addressed by given names only; there are identifying details about their life histories, but it is unclear whether they are composites or actual youths who granted permission to be included. Francis interweaves selected life episodes of her own that mirror the teens’ situations. A smuggler brought her from Guatemala to the U.S. when she was 15, the oldest of five children of a single mother who struggled with addiction before finding religion. Many of her challenges and successes reflect joys and difficulties many teens of different backgrounds face; others (like driving a truck to sell oranges around town at age 9) will resonate with some and be eye-opening for others. Initially, her education came second to survival; later she faced homesickness, self-doubt, and setbacks like an unplanned pregnancy. Francis’ advice is validated by her own experiences, and she doesn’t gloss over her heartbreak at her students’ stories—one arrived wearing an ankle bracelet from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Francis is empathetic and supportive; she sees their passions, character traits, and achievements. In simple, stirring prose, she gives teens the incomparable gift of her genuine attention while accepting that she can’t meet their every need.
