Santiago's Road Home

Santiago's only happy memories are of the time when he was small before his mother died.  Now, he is simply passed around amongst his abusive or neglectful relatives, but anything is better than living with his Abuela.  She is the worst abuser, and he has the scars to prove it.  When one more relative hands him bus fare to go back to Abuela's house, he decides he won't go back.

He wants to try to cross the border in el otro lado.  It has to be better than the life he is living now.  He isn't sure how to do any of this until he meets Maria Dolores and her young daughter, Alegria.  Maria Dolores is young enough to be his older sister, but she instantly sees the good in Santiago, and makes him part of her little family.

Together, the three begin their journey north, but things go wrong right from the start, and soon they are simply trying to survive in the desert on their meager supplies.  They make it across the border, but they are soon too weak to continue.  When they are discovered, their lives are saved, but they are soon sent to three different ICE folding facilities.

Maria Dolores and Santiago have made a vow to protect each other on the journey, and Maria Dolores has promised her adopted brother he will be part of her family in the U.S, but now he isn't sure what will happen.  Will he be sent on a bus back to Mexico without even a chance?  Will he get to plead his case for asylum?  Will he ever see Maria Dolores and Alegria again, the only real family he's known since his mother died?

Alexandra Diaz's story about a young man's journey is heavy and dark, filled with people and systems who would rather abuse a young orphan than help him, but it is also peppered with people who are ready and eager to help Santiago in any way they can.  While conditions in the ICE facility are bleak, Santiago does meet a lawyer who does everything she can to help him and a teacher who encourages him to learn how to read.  This is a painful and all too real story that eventually ends with hope.  Recommended for grades 6 and up.