Thirty-five Days to Baltimore:

“Such an important, poignant, and honest piece.
I read it in one sitting!”
~ Michelle Lopez, Berkshire Immigrant Center
In 2004, seventeen-year-old Alex Portillo embarks on a harrowing, journey from Honduras to Baltimore in the hopes of starting a better life. Over a decade later, Alex recounts his story to author and activist Jana Laiz in this bilingual retelling. This book will give readers insight into the incredible power the American dream holds for those suffering the hopelessness and violence of extreme poverty. This is a modern day odyssey of what one immigrant faces as he makes the treacherous journey out of unfathomable living conditions.

“Una pieza tan importante, conmovedora y honesta.
¡Lo leí en una sentada!”
~ Michelle Lopez, Centro de Inmigrantes de Berkshire
En 2004, Alex Portillo, de diecisiete años, se embarca en un viaje angustioso desde Honduras a Baltimore con la esperanza de comenzar una vida mejor. Más de una década después, Alex le cuenta su historia a la autora y activista Jana Laiz en este recuento bilingüe. Este libro brindará a los lectores una idea del increíble poder que tiene el sueño americano para quienes sufren la desesperanza y la violencia de la pobreza extrema. Esta es una odisea moderna de lo que enfrenta un inmigrante mientras realiza el traicionero viaje desde unas condiciones de vida insondables.

Alexis Portillo is a Honduran immigrant with a story to tell. Coming from a hopeless and impoverished situation in Honduras, Alex relates to Jana Laiz the story of his harrowing journey through the desert to find his way to Baltimore and a better life for himself and his family. Alex is currently living in Texas pursuing a career as a pastor. This is his first book. Jana Laiz, is a writer and educator living in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. She is the author of the award-winning novels Weeping Under This Same Moon (in development for film), The Twelfth Stone and Billy Budd in the Breadbox, The Story of Herman Melville & Eleanor. She is the co-author of A Free Woman On God’s Earth: The Story of Elizabeth Mumbet Freeman (in development for film), Blanket of Stars, and Simon Says. She and Alexis Portillo have teamed up to write Thirty-five Days to Baltimore. Jana is a writer with a purpose, believing that honoring diversity and teaching stewardship for the planet can change the world. She is Writer-In-Residence Emeritus at Herman Melville’s Arrowhead home. Visit her at janalaiz.com.