Luis

Luis, who was deported after serving 10 years beginning at age 16, now lives in a large Mexican city where he works full-time as a call center agent for an internet company. He also provides translation services for Free Minds’ Spanish-speaking book club. He is saving up to enroll in flight school. His dream is to become an international commercial pilot, flying routes across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He especially wants to visit Dubai.

BOOKS BY LUIS

When You Hear Me (You Hear Us)

Voices on Youth Incarceration

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Foreword Indies Finalist
Independent Press Award Winner
“A powerful, devastating, essential read” - Starred review in Kirkus Reviews

When You Hear Me (You Hear Us) is an anthology of poetry and personal stories centering the voices of those directly impacted by the incarceration of young people in the United States. Compiled by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, this rich collection includes firsthand accounts from both the young people charged and incarcerated in the adult criminal legal system and from the community at large: the mothers, the loved ones, the correctional staff, public defenders, prosecutors, and others harmed and left with unhealed trauma. These critical voices, uniquely combined, illustrate the ecosystem that surrounds youth who are incarcerated--and expose the ripple effects that touch us all. This book challenges us to hear these voices calling out for accountability, transformative justice, and healing. Together, they demonstrate the collective impact of the prison system, and our collective responsibility to create a society where every one of us can thrive.

ISBN: 978-1-950807-34-5
Age: 12+
Page Count: 288
Published: Fall 2021