The Far Away Brothers
Written by Lauren Markham
Published by Delacourte Press
Growing up in rural El Salvador in the wake of the civil war, the United States was a distant fantasy to identical twins Ernesto and Raul Flores–until, at age seventeen, a deadly threat from the region’s brutal gangs forces them to flee the only home they’ve ever known. In this urgent chronicle of contemporary immigration, journalist Lauren Markham follows the Flores twins as they make their way across the Rio Grande and the Texas desert, into the hands of immigration authorities, and from there to their estranged older brother in Oakland, CA. Soon these unaccompanied minors are navigating school in a new language, working to pay down their mounting coyote debt, and facing their day in immigration court, while also encountering the triumphs and pitfalls of teenage life with only each other for support. With intimate access and breathtaking range, Markham offers an unforgettable testament to the migrant experience.

Primary ISBN: 9781984829771
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback
Young Adult, Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Salvadoran/Salvadoran American
Themes: Family Relationship: Siblings, Family Separation: Living with Other Family or Friends, Migrant Smuggling, Refugee Journey, Refugee: Gang Violence, Unaccompanied Minors, US/Mexican Border Crossing
Setting: United States, El Salvador
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Refugee
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