91 pages • 3 hours read
Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch, Martin GandaI Will Always Write Back
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2015A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
“Caitlin: September 1997”-“Martin: November 1997”
“Caitlin: January 1998”-“Caitlin: May 1998”
“Martin: June 1998”-“Martin: October 1998”
“Caitlin: December 1998”-“Martin: April 1999”
“Caitlin: May 1999”-“Caitlin: June 1999”
“Martin: June 1999”-“Caitlin: December 1999”
“Martin: January 2000”-“Caitlin: February 2000”
“Martin: February 2000”-“Caitlin: September 2000”
“Martin: November 2000”-“Caitlin: December 2000”
“Martin: January 2001”-“Martin: April 2001”
“Caitlin: April 2001”-“Martin: July 2001”
“Caitlin: September 2001”-“Martin: June 2002”
“Caitlin: August 2002”-“Martin: September 2002”
“Caitlin: October 2002”-“Martin: December 2002”
“Caitlin: January 2003”-“Martin: April 2003”
“Caitlin: April 2003”-“Caitlin: July 2003”
“Martin–July 2003”-“Martin–August 14, 2003”
“Caitlin: August 15, 2003”-“Caitlin: October 2015”
Key Figures
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
Beta“Martin: June 1998”-“Martin: October 1998”Chapter Summaries & Analyses
“Martin: June 1998” Summary
Caitlin’s gift for Martin arrives in the mail. Martin excitedly waits until he arrives home to unwrap the package and is delighted to find a Reebok t-shirt with a “Made from America” label. Martin has not received a birthday present since he was 10 years old, as his family could not afford one. When Martin turned 10, his father bought him a Fanta soda, which was one of the few times the family could afford a present for him. He had to share his Fanta soda with the rest of his family, as it was such a rare luxury. Given these circumstances, Martin is especially moved by Caitlin’s gift. His family is similarly excited by this gift, too. They take turns wearing the shirt.
Meanwhile, workers are being laid off at the paper mill where Martin’s father works. One day, Martin’s father comes home drunk from work, inciting an argument with Martin’s mother, who is furious with him for spending money on beer when they barely have enough money to buy food for the family. There are also other circumstances of economic turmoil in Zimbabwe. There are violent riots and protests in various cities that have resulted in numerous casualties.
While Zimbabwe is going through major political and economic upheaval, Martin works a job carrying people’s luggage to save up to buy black-and-white earrings for Caitlin. When Martin can finally afford the earrings, he purchases them and writes to Caitlin the same night. He apologizes for the lateness of his response, saying that the workers at the Post and Telecommunications Corporation are on strike and the mail has not been delivered as a result. He thanks her for her gift and tells her about the earrings he got for her. He promises once again that he will always write back.
“Caitlin: August 1998” Summary
When Caitlin does not hear from Martin in a while, she’s worried. Martin usually replies within a month. One day, Caitlin’s father informs her of the news of the bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, cities in countries not too far away from Zimbabwe. Over the next few days, other bombings take place in Kenya and Tanzania. Caitlin is worried that Zimbabwe may be next.
In August, Caitlin and her family go on a family vacation to the Thousand Islands in Canada. By the time Caitlin and her family return from vacation and school starts again, she receives a package from Martin. Caitlin finds a pair of hand-carved earrings in the package that are shaped like guinea fowls. In the accompanying letter, Martin apologizes for his delayed response, as the post office was on strike during the past month. He also thanks her for the t-shirt, which he says, “greatly increased his wardrobe” (69), a phrase that confuses her.
At school, Caitlin chooses to wear Martin’s earrings instead of the trendy gold hoop earrings that every girl is wearing. Her friends compliment her earrings and are surprised that they come from her pen pal. One of Caitlin’s friends teases her about being in love with Martin, which annoys Caitlin, as she believes that she and Martin have a unique and platonic friendship. She tells her seventh-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, about the earrings, hoping that she will understand her and Martin’s connection. Mrs. Miller compliments the earrings as well and is impressed that the pen-pal connection has lasted for this long.
Caitlin prepares her next letter and package for Martin, enclosing photographs from her family vacation, mechanical pencils, and her older brother Richie’s old Nike t-shirt, which he has gifted her. In the letter, she laments the bombings taking place in several African countries. She writes, “Everyone must strive to get along—have an international friendship, like us!” (71).
“Martin: October 1998” Summary
When Martin receives Caitlin’s package, he is impressed by the photographs of her and her family. He sees that her family has a big house and several cars, luxuries that only the wealthiest people in his city possess. He also notices Caitlin’s braces in the photographs but as he does not know what they are, he considers them “jewelry on her teeth” (74). He shows these photographs to his friends, who are similarly impressed by what appears to be a more extravagant lifestyle than what they are accustomed to.
In her letter, Caitlin requests a photograph from Martin once again. Martin decides to enclose a gift in his next package to Caitlin, an African bangle he buys from a nearby market, and promises to send her a photograph soon. He asks his father if they can hire a photographer, a favor that his father eventually obliges to. The photographer takes two photographs of Martin, one of which comes out blurry and the other one of which comes out fine.
“Martin: June 1998”-“Martin: October 1998” Analysis
As Caitlin and Martin’s correspondence progresses, so do the increasing political and economic tensions across the world. Whereas the US is afforded some protection from the disasters around the world, Martin’s family is directly impacted by the political and economic change in their country. Amid bombings, the paper mill where Martin’s father works begins laying off employees. Foreseeing his eventual job loss, Martin’s father takes to drinking, which incites arguments in Martin’s household. These arguments are regular stressors for Martin, as his father’s drinking has been hinted at as a persistent issue in earlier chapters. Martin’s depiction of his family’s struggles with poverty cast a close look into the intimate ways in which political and economic tension impacts internal family dynamics.
While Martin’s family bears the weight of political and economic change, Caitlin’s family is protected from such conflicts. Caitlin can only empathize through what she reads about on the news. While bombings occur in countries surrounding Zimbabwe, Caitlin’s family goes on vacation to the Thousand Islands. It is a privilege that Martin’s family, by contrast, cannot afford. Caitlin’s family’s ability to go on vacation during a period of political strife across Africa also suggests the different distribution of privilege across the US and various African countries. This disparity is displayed through Caitlin and Martin’s respective experiences.
