The narrator’s mom suddenly tells them and their brother that she has to leave the house. Once the mother has left and traveled to the United States, her abusive sister comes to take care of the kids. They suffer neglect, violence, and malnourishment all the while making valiant efforts to reconnect with their mother and escape their situation. Narrator describes their motivation to study hard and seek out love in a home where there is none. Finally, the siblings are rescued by a friend of their mother and eventually able to travel to the United States as well.
Pre-reading:
What was the first telephone number you knew by heart? Do you remember when you memorized it? What is the number? Who answered or still answers that number when you call?
Post reading:
- There is a sentence in the middle of the story: “Not even our own family wanted us.” What examples does the writer give you to say such a thing?
- In the last paragraph of the story, we read, “Sometime later, Mom called us…..” How much time do you think passed from the time the writer’s mother left her children to the time they saw each other again?
- There is a famous song called “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles. Listen to this song. Read the lyrics. How do you think these song lyrics match the ideas in this story? Do you agree that “love is all you need”? What else does the writer need?
- Do you think the mother of this writer ever stopped loving her sons? Why or why not? How do you know?