A Journey Toward Hope is now available for purchase!
To hear what others are saying about A Journey Toward Hope, scroll down to read endorsements, and visit these cites to read blog post reviews:
Co-written by Baylor professor Victor Hinojosa and children’s author Coert Voorhees and illustrated by renowned artist and Pura Belpré Award winner Susan Guevara, A Journey Toward Hope follows four unaccompanied migrant children who come together along the arduous journey north from their homes in Central America through Mexico to the U.S. border. The book, co-published by Baylor University’s Global Hunger and Migration Project, will be available in both English and Spanish editions. It includes four pages of nonfiction back matter about the migration crisis, contributed by Baylor’s Global Hunger and Migration Project.
An ode to the power of hope and connection even in the face of uncertainty and fear, A Journey Toward Hope tells the story of Rodrigo, a 14-year-old escaping violence in his native Honduras; Alessandra, a 10-year-old Guatemalan whose first language is Q’eqchi’; and the Salvadoran siblings Laura and Nando. Though their reasons for making the journey are different, and the journey northward is perilous, the four children band together, finding strength in one another as they share the dreams of their past and the hopes for their future.
Dr. Hinojosa explains, “This book came from two impulses: the desire to tell the stories of these children to a wide audience and the desire for these courageous child refugees to see themselves represented. Our students believed that if others knew what they knew about this crisis, they would want to help, too.”
Every year, roughly 50,000 unaccompanied minors arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border to present themselves for asylum or related visas. The majority of these children are non-Mexicans fleeing the systemic violence of Central America’s “Northern Triangle”: Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
“Parents in the Northern Triangle are forced into unimaginable choices regarding the life and well-being of their children,” says Dr. Lori Baker, Baylor University Vice Provost and Professor of Anthropology and the Executive Director of Reuniting Families. “Our students want to bring humanity and love into the ongoing conversations in the U.S. regarding child migration and have done so beautifully through this story. All children deserve hope and the opportunity for a future free of violence and extreme poverty.”
“When you meet Nando and Laura, Alessandra, and Rodrigo, you will understand why children migrate from Central America, seeking new homes in the United States. These kids will snuggle up next to your soul. And you will be changed.”
“This beautifully illustrated book provides young children with narratives that contextualize and humanize the lives of child refugees from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The children’s stories begin under different conditions, yet merge as they find one another on a journey filled with peril, connection and hope.”
“Dr. Hinojosa and his students with coauthor Coert Voorhees and the incredible illustrator, Susan Guevara, created a beautiful book dealing with one of the preeminent human tragedies of our day. A Journey Toward Hope is an educational tool for children and adults alike to better understand the plight of migrant children hoping for a better life.”
“This is an outstanding work that is a must read for children of all ages. The story is compelling, and the illustrations are amazing. This work can help promote awareness and educate youth about the experiences of individuals fleeing violence in Central America. Baylor University and its partners should be proud of this terrific and timely project.”
“A Journey Toward Hope dramatizes, in vivid picture and apt words, the imperiled promise of precious children for whom we feel compassion. Alessandra, Laura, Nando, and Rodrigo experience tearful partings, deprivation, and personal jeopardy. Yet the book emphasizes their heartfelt longing, innocence, resilience, fortitude, and above all, hope-filled possibility. In this captivating story, Victor Hinojosa, Coert Voorhees, and Susan Guevara thereby trace the contours of human life, invite solidarity with the least of these, and remind us to suffer the little children and forbid them not . . . for such is the kingdom of heaven.”
“As an immigration attorney, this book and its story resonates with the work that I do on a regular basis. I have interviewed and legally represented many children from ages 1 - 18, and their stories are very similar. It is unfortunate that we don’t welcome children to our country with open arms as we should.”