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In February of 2018, my family began fostering Julia, a 5-year-old from Honduras. Separated by the Border is the story of Julia and her mother Guadalupe—their trip up to the U.S., their separation, and their reunification eight months later.
                                                                                           
From Honduras to Mexico to the United States and then back again to Honduras, Separated by the Border parallels the lives of two mothers: one Honduran and one American, and the journey that brought them deeply into each other’s lives. Immigration, foster care, machismo, and faith permeate this story about Guadalupe and her daughter Julia—not actual names—who were separated in their attempt to cross the Mexico-U.S. border in late fall of 2017. In early 2018, Julia was taken into custody by the State of North Carolina where she began living with her foster family (including her foster mother who is the author of the book). In July 2018, Gena Thomas and her husband traveled back to Honduras with Julia to reunite her with her mother and brothers. Much of the book is written in first person from Gena's perspective, along with third-person narratives from interviews with Guadalupe.

Gena writes with such love and humility. She shows what family separation looks like: the border, the push and pull factors. She does such a beautiful job with such a hard story.  

Source: https://www.genathomas.com/separated-by-the-border.html