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The podcast discusses a book called "I Will Always Write Back" about two teenagers, Caitlin from the United States and Martin from Zimbabwe, who become long-distance friends through letters. The book explores themes of friendship, kindness, and the differences in privilege between the two characters. It is a literary non-fiction that teaches important lessons about compassion, understanding, and acceptance. The podcast hosts enjoyed the book and recommend it to others, emphasizing its relevance in today's world. They also express curiosity about the current situation between the characters and the impact the book has had on their lives. Overall, they believe the book is important for all ages as it teaches valuable life lessons and provides a different perspective on the world. Hello world, and welcome back to the newest episode in the Very Good Bad Readers podcast. Doesn't matter who you are, you can always enjoy the art of reading. My name is Marco. I'm born in Brazil, and I moved to Italy four years ago. My mom is Argentinian, and my dad is Italian. I love reading. One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to read 20 minutes a day. In this time, I discovered many new books. My name is Julia, and I'm 14 years old. I've lived in Rome, Italy for eight months. I enjoy reading because it's an easy way to relax and calm myself down. Hello, I'm Andrea D'Alessio. I'm 14 years old. I live in Rome, Italy, and I love reading. Depends on what book, but I essentially do enjoy it. Our passion is your entertainment, and on today's episode, this is on a book called I Will Always Write Back. Picture this. Two teenagers, one living in Zimbabwe and one in America. The American Caitlin gets an assignment for her English class to write a letter to an overseas place, and she picks Zimbabwe. After a myriad of letters are sent and so many lessons are learned, each character begins to learn things about a new place and themselves they would never have learned before. In my opinion, this book really changed my point of view on many things, and that is why we decided to talk about it in this podcast. This book is a literary non-fiction because it is based on things that happened in real life, while adding some entertainment to it. In fact, that's what makes this book very interesting and inspiring, because it shows how real friendship does not have limits. For example, Caitlin, who lives in the United States, and Martin, who lives in Zimbabwe, and they created a long-distance friendship with no limits. Yeah, I agree with what you said, Marco, and I think this book also shows how real friendship can benefit people. Like, for example, I think that might be a theme of the story, and also how others' kindness and generosity can change someone's life. Yes, I agree, I agree. Yeah. For example, when Caitlin gave Martin and his family shoes, she didn't realize how much it would really affect them and change their lives. In February of 2000, Martin wrote, My mother didn't walk in her new shoes. She floated. When people asked about them, she jumped up and down to demonstrate how durable they were. Yeah. It's crazy that she never wore shoes before! I'm so glad that Caitlin was able to help change Martin and Martin's mother's life. Yes. And it also shows how privileged we are living in a developed country. Definitely. It really makes me think about how different people can be. And how grateful we have to be. Okay, guys, let's get into it. What do you think is important to highlight in regards to what the book is about? Okay, I'll start. The setting of the book really showcases the characters' differences. The author does a really good job in using imagery to make us, the readers, picture everything that is happening there. Caitlin lives in a privileged country, the United States. The author really showcases their differences. For example, photographs were not expensive in the United States, but were very expensive in Zimbabwe. And that creates a difference between these two characters. Yeah. And another example of that is how when it rains, for Caitlin, she just hangs out under her roof, really anywhere. Because the way her house is structured, it is very easy for her to stay dry. But for Martin, it was almost impossible for his house to stay dry, especially when it rains. Caitlin actually had to buy him a tarp because of how impactful the rain was. Isn't that crazy? Yes, yes. It's very crazy. Now, the book has a lot of emotions and a lot of conflict. Summarizing, what do you guys think is the main conflict in the book? I think one of the main conflicts in the book is probably how, for example, in America, where Caitlin lives, a lot of people don't realize the differences about how different places where different people live. For example, Darren, Caitlin's boyfriend, didn't realize what the struggle was for Martin in Zimbabwe. Yes, because I think in the United States, you always grow up with a very privileged life that makes you not care about, or maybe you don't even know, what other people around the world, like Zimbabwe and other places, even in current conflicts, of what they are going through. Yeah, like for example, when... Yeah, and I think absolutely that Martin has a more ethical way of thinking because he has to worry about his school and a lot of things, while Caitlin basically just thinks of what she has to wear the next day. She doesn't focus on the main problems of life, which Martin struggles with every day. What do you guys think that readers need to know from reading this book? And then also, what do you think you can learn from reading this book? Oh yes, it's a very good question, Julia. I think that this book is very, very important for all ages, because it shows just a bit of compassion and how we have to take in all perspectives. Because as we are living in a very privileged country, other people around the world are not. And so, I think that it's very important to read this book, just because it teaches compassion, more understanding, and acceptance between everyone and everyone's situation. Yeah, and like I was saying, to realize really the important things about life, like for example, where Caitlin thinks of other stuff that maybe are not important. Martin thinks of what are concrete things, like what he's going to eat. And just in general, after reading the book at this point, what do you guys think of it? Do you like it? I personally, for me at least, really, really enjoyed the book, because I haven't really read any other book similar, and so I think it taught me to realize that I like reading this type of literary non-fiction books, and that I want to keep reading them in the future. For me, for example, that I really love reading historical fiction books, I think that this type of genre makes you realize concrete things and real-world life problems. Yeah, and I was aghast at the start. Yes, yes, and I also believe that this book teaches a lot of important meanings, and I like the combination between non-fiction that teaches you things, and also literary non-fiction, and also adding a bit of entertainment to it, because it makes learning much more fun, and it also makes you get into the characters' shoes. If you guys could ask the author anything, what do you think you would ask him? Oh, yes, this is a very, very important question. Something I would ask them, it's like, what is the current situation between Martin and Caitlin? For example, are they best friends, do they talk a lot, even after a decent long time, or have they separated a bit into their own lives? I would really like to know, because I think the book is a bit incomplete at the end, because I don't know what's happening now, because it's 2024, and we know that the book occurred near the 1990s, right? No? Also, yeah, and now that it's been nine years since the book was published, I'd really like to know about what these people are doing with their life now, because for Caitlin, at least, she went to college, how did college go, and what did Martin end up doing? Also, why do you guys think that other kids should read this book? Because I know we all three enjoyed it, but why do you think other people should read it? Yes, I think that it should be a book that everyone should read, I think this should be a book that is in every library, because it really teaches you about being ethical, being understanding, because everyone has very different lives, and you never know what someone's going through, right? So you have to be very understanding, and as you can see, Caitlin did a mistake of not being always so understanding with Martin, for example, caring about not as important problems, and so I think that it is very important to be compassionate and understanding, and having general acceptance of all, but mostly being open-minded, to understand what the other person is going through, and how is he or she struggling. Definitely, because I think that's a lesson all of us can learn, is that to accept other people, and always be there to accepting new things, and I feel like some of these people, even though I've only read a part of their story in their life, I feel like I've looked up to almost venerating them, because they tell such an amazing story, and I feel like I've learned a lot from them. Yes, yes, and I also think that it's very important to notice that one important difference between Martin and Caitlin, is that Caitlin is very blasé. For example, when Martin received the Nike shirt, or the Reebok shirt, it was something incredible, it was the best day of his life, and now that we know that Caitlin has so many things, and lives a privileged life, I think she's very blasé. They have such a different economic standpoint, especially with the way they value things. Yes, and another thing I think we should talk about, is the differences that Caitlin and Martin had in their letters. For example, Martin was saying that Caitlin's letters were always extremely decorated, and they had all these beautiful colours, and Martin's were more... He found that one of his letters was on the back of an ice cream cone, like one of the wrappers from an ice cream cone. But when we talk about the writing in those letters, Martin's writing was very fervent, it was very emotional, and for example, he referred to Caitlin as his queen. He also was super excited in words when he received the Reebok and the Nike shirt, and all those presents, for example the one dollar bill. It was a really big deal. He was just so excited, and over-excited, way more than what Caitlin's friends would be to receive what they would call everyday items. Luxury, exactly. Thank you for watching! This concludes our episode today about... I will always write back, but make sure to stay tuned for next weekend, because... We are going to read... The Outsider! Okay, so just remember to read it too this week, because we will contain spoilers. And just one final message to everyone, is remember to always stay open-minded, and be compassionate about what other people are thinking. Because you never know what they're going through, just like Caitlin and Martin. Have a great rest of your day, everybody! And don't forget to follow the Very Good Bad Readers podcast! That's a wrap!
