To Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed, and all the Atlanta YA authors on this journey with me. It is such an enormous relief to be honest, vulnerable, and real with all of you wonderful people. Thank you to Christine Ristaino and David Jenkins, colleagues and dear friends who bravely shared their own stories with me, inspired me to write unflinchingly, and never second-guessed my unorthodox career decisions.
To Jessica Daman and Kim Dammers, two extraordinary attorneys who offered me your valuable time and knowledge. (I took a few liberties with this story. Please be assured that I accept all responsibility for mistakes and inaccuracies.) To Christina Iturralde and Kevin Amaya at KIND Atlanta, and to all of the social service providers and pro-bono attorneys across the country who work tirelessly to advocate for kids like Ari.
To Amilcar Valencia, for your careful lessons on Salvadoran slang, and for welcoming me into your family and community in San Salvador. To Katie Beno-Valencia and Lesley Ediger, for inviting me to join you in El Salvador and waiting so patiently for me to arrive. And to all of my fellow El Refugians (with apologies to the rest of you for the terrible Spanglish). You have taught me so much about how to love with fierce compassion, and how to practice hospitality in the most inhospitable of places.
To The Coven of the Pie Wish: my sister and best friend, the real Lee Taylor, who has worked tirelessly for so many years as a guardian ad litem attorney and defender of kids. To my critique partner, Mayra Cuevas. From the moment we met, I knew that you would be a great colleague. I am enormously grateful that you have become a most cherished friend, too. To my mom. Because, because, because. And to the women I hope will join the coven soon: my beautiful and talented cousin, Holly, my extraordinary sister, Carroll Ann, and my dearest friend, Emily.
To Leslie and Tanya Zacks, Kate and Mike Phillips, Araceli and Camilo Morales, Juan and Anja Ramirez. Even though Annie says you’re the “not real” family, I know better. You are as real as it gets, and I can’t imagine a life without you. To Claire Riordan and Ana Gaby Maldonado. We’re so glad you decided to join the family, too. To all the Friedmanns and Marquardts, for continuing to claim me, and for your consistent love and support. And to Beau Redmond, for bringing so much joy to our family, and for giving me awesome new sisters: Ruth and Chris (who made this book so much better!), Sudie, and Laure. I love you all.
I am outrageously blessed to have my own personal entourage: Mary Elizabeth, whose intelligence and passion for justice amaze me every day—thanks for coming up with a math equation, and for doing all the other crazy things I ask of you (generally without complaint). Nate, my creative and compassionate boy—thanks for writing Ari’s essay again and again until we got it right, and for creating beautiful music for me. Pixley: your humor and intellect are both beyond compare. Thanks for always remembering the things I forget, and for reminding me to breathe deep and laugh. I can’t wait to read your books someday. And Annie, my gregarious and loving baby girl. Thanks for getting out there and making friends for us both. I am so honored to be the mother of you four incredible people!
Most especially, I am grateful to Chris. No distance will ever be beyond our radius.
This all began on a Saturday in May 2013. I walked into a detention center’s visitation room for probably the hundredth time, but still my heart broke wide open. As I spoke on a phone, through the glass, with a teenage asylum-seeker from El Salvador, I knew that I had to write this story. To Miguel de Jesús, Darwin, Jonathan, Uriel, César, Isaac, and all of the Central American asylum seekers I have been so honored to know since that Saturday: I have learned so much from your bravery, your commitment to family, and your desire to find a better future. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me your stories, and for sharing with me your own American dreams. I wrote this book for you, with the sincere hope that–someday very soon–all of your stories might find a happy ending. Godspeed.
Para Miguel de Jesús, Darwin, Jonathan, Uriel, César, Isaac, y todos los jóvenes centroamericanos en busca de asilo. Ha sido un gran honor conocerles. De ustedes he aprendido la valentía verdadera, el amor que une a sus familias, y el deseo para un mejor futuro. Gracias por confiarme sus historias y sus sueños americanos. Escribí este libro para ustedes con la esperanza de que todas sus historias tengan un final feliz. Que Dios y la Virgencita les acompañe siempre.
ALSO BY MARIE MARQUARDT
Dream Things True
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MARIE MARQUARDT is a scholar-in-residence at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and the author of Dream Things True. She has published articles and coauthored two nonfiction books about Latin American immigration to the U.S. South. Marie is cochair of El Refugio, a nonprofit that serves detained immigrants and their families, and a member of the We Need Diverse Books team. She lives in a busy household in Decatur, Georgia, with her spouse, four children, a dog, and a bearded dragon. You can sign up for email updates here.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Carlos Alfredo Morataya was born in Guatemala and lived there until 2009, when at the age of eighteen, he moved to Georgia. He graduated from Horizon Christian Academy in Cumming, Georgia, and he currently attends the University of North Georgia (UNG), where his major is Art Education. Carlos is an active member of the Latino Student Association at University of North Georgia. He enjoys photography and art.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One: Gretchen
Chapter Two: Phoenix
Chapter Three: Gretchen
Chapter Four: Phoenix
Chapter Five: Gretchen
Chapter Six: Phoenix
Chapter Seven: Gretchen
Chapter Eight: Phoenix
Chapter Nine: Gretchen
Chapter Ten: Phoenix
Chapter Eleven: Gretchen
Chapter Twelve: Phoenix
Chapter Thirteen: Gretchen
Chapter Fourteen: Phoenix
Chapter Fifteen: Gretchen
Chapter Sixteen: Phoenix
Chapter Seventeen: Gretchen
Chapter Eighteen: Phoenix
Chapter Nineteen: Gretchen
Chapter Twenty: Phoenix
Chapter Twenty-One: Gretchen
Chapter Twenty-Two: Phoenix
Chapter Twenty-Three: Gretchen
Chapter Twenty-Four: Phoenix
Chapter Twenty-Five: Gretchen
Chapter Twenty-Six: Phoenix
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Gretchen
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Phoenix
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Gretchen
Chapter Thirty: Phoenix
Chapter Thirty-One: Gretchen
Chapter Thirty-Two: Phoenix
Chapter Thirty-Three: Gretchen
Chapter Thirty-Four: Phoenix
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Marie Marquardt
About the Author
About the Illustrator
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE RADIUS OF US. Copyright © 2016 by Marie Marquardt. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Kerri Resnick
Illustrations by Carlos Alfredo Morataya
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-09689-0 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-09690-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250096906
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: January 2017
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Marie Marquardt, The Radius of Us
The Radius of Us Page 26