Iris, 18 years old, VA | NEEDED BY 11/06

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Iris grew up in foster care in another country, and by the time she arrived in the United States as a teenager, she had learned to carry her whole life in a single bag and quietly hope the next place might finally be home. She has since navigated a new language, a new school, and a new culture, often without family nearby to translate, comfort her, or celebrate her milestones. Now an adult, she has learned to stand on her own, working part-time at a bakery and studying hard to finish her diploma. She dreams of becoming a pastry chef, and she bakes whenever she can, filling her tiny kitchen with the smell of recipes she wrote down from memory. Iris is soft-spoken and determined, someone who rarely asks for help, though she carries more than anyone should have to carry alone. She has already shown extraordinary courage, rebuilding her life twice over, and she deserves a community that cheers loudly for her as she builds the future she’s worked so hard to earn.

Iris has spent years finding her footing in a new language and a new country, and a powerful, absorbing novel like The Yellow Wife would give her a quiet hour that is entirely her own. Reading in English is one of the most meaningful ways she can keep building her confidence, and a story of resilience and survival feels especially fitting for a young woman who has rebuilt her life more than once. Between early shifts at the bakery and late nights studying, she seldom has time to simply be a reader, and a book of her own would be a gentle invitation to rest, reflect, and be swept away.