Time is so elusive. Einstein explained it best, as only a genius can do. Sometimes, time goes by fast, and sometimes it goes slow, and what happens in between is both miraculous and harrowing. It feels like so right now, in these dystopian and apocalyptic times.

I have always loved sci-fi. Those who know me for years know this to be true. I remember reading Dune by Frank Herbert in fourth or fifth grade. It was kind of traumatizing, and I had a conversation about the book with my mom in the car. Her words never left me, una de las batallas que viene va a ser la batalla por el agua (one of the battles to come will be for water). That was close to 40 years ago. And here we are. Indeed, battling for water, resources, earth, humanity itself. That moment feels like yesterday to me.

Reading Sanctuary, Paola Mendoza's, and Abby Sher’s new YA book— for all ages—brought the memory back so vivid I could almost touch my mom back in time. And it hurt. I realized the fear of what that meant never left me, and that I never really stop thinking about it, la batalla por el agua.

I wrote this about Paola’s first book, The Ones Who Don’t Stay. It’s true what her “sister in art” Abby Sher says about P. at the end of the book, “Paola is a fierce visionary, leading the charge forward for all humans to be treated with the love and respect we each deserve.” I didn’t know about Ms. Sher before Sanctuary, but I will now because she is equally committed to heart and craft.

 You can read Sanctuary in a day or a night, and you should; it's a must-read and a page-turner from the get-go.

Vali, the story’s courageous heroine will take you on a heart-wrenching adventure inspired by what is happening to hundreds of thousands of people here and all across the globe. The U.S. of A is not the only country turning people away who fleeing war, despots, famine, drought, floods, and fires.

This is now a global circumstance.  The U.S. wars alone have displaced 37 million people since 2001. The figure just in this past week.

 We must do what we can to take out these barbaric leaders; Mr. T and his troupe of criminals, lowlifes, usurpers of truth and decency, thieves, thugs, warmongers, Gestapo will have us all put up for ransom. 

He and they will destroy the world.

The dystopian world Sanctuary delivers is not that far off from becoming. It could happen not 40 years down the line but very soon.

Look at what has happened in a short six months because of his lies. The more power he gets the more damage the will do, and we might not have a single place left for Sanctuary.

Sol