I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives
Page 26
Thank you to my parents, Anne Neville and Rich Stoicsitz, for their unyielding guidance, love, and constant belief in me. Without your assistance, dreams would remain unfulfilled and this story may have never unfolded. Special thanks to my grandparents, Bill and Marie Neville and Joseph Stoicsitz, for loving me when you were unsure of the paths I was taking! And to my brother, Richie, for allowing me to grow and supporting my passions, and to Heather Witta, for being such a constant and supportive friend. Also to my uncles, aunts, and cousins for readily accepting Martin into our family as a new nephew and cousin. To my mother-in-law, Irina Olifirenko, and my sister-in-law Diana Olifirenko for loving and supporting me and making Martin your family as well. And most important, to my beloved husband, Dzmitry, who supported me and was always my rock. And finally, to our dearest daughter, Mila, who listened to hours of me retelling this story. You are the future, and I want you to see the world as your playground.
And special thanks to my brother, Martin Ganda. We believed in each other. It’s impossible to imagine my life without you. You truly opened my eyes to a bigger, better world.
To Liz Welch, without whose thoughtful planning and execution our story would have remained in file folders. We lived the story, but you brought it to life!
Liz Welch would like to thank:
Martin Ganda and Caitlin Alifirenka for entrusting their inspiring story to me; to their agent, Sarah Burnes, for making the introductions; and to my agent, Brettne Bloom, for her always smart and thoughtful support. To Anne Neville, for her fastidious fact-checking and enormous heart—this book could not have happened without you. To Farrin Jacobs for her expert edits, to Judy Clain for her spot-on instinct that this story must be told, and to everyone in Karen Braziller’s workshop who read early pages and fell in love, as I did, with Martin and Caitlin’s story.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Part 1: Hallo!
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Part 2: Clues
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Part 3: Generosity
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Part 4: A Future
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Part 5: A Changing World
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Part 6: American Dream
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Caitlin
Martin
Epilogue
Martin
Photos
Acknowledgments
Copyright
Copyright
The authors and the publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book is correct. The events, locales, and conversations are based on the authors’ memories of them.
Copyright © 2015 by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
Cover art by gray 138
Cover design by Tracy Shaw
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Little, Brown and Company
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104
lb-teens.com
Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: April 2015
ISBN 978-0-316-24134-2
E3