This post is written by Dionne Nichols. I used Baca’s “When I Walk Through That Door, I Am” for the first time right before winter break, and I was floored by what my students did with it. “When I Walk Through That Door, I Am” is a novella in verse that tells the story of a refugee woman who travels from El Salvador to the American border where she is separated from her toddler and they’re put in the holding camps. I learned about this book when Baca came to the AP reading in 2019. He told us there that this is based on an interview he conducted with the woman, but what I really appreciated was how my students recognized that it is an “Everyman” story – yes, it is based on one woman’s trials, but it applies to every refugee everywhere. Several students even included middle eastern flags to signify the highest ratios ... KEEP READING
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