"'How do we know when to leave?'
'No sé. We just know when it is too dangerous to stay.'"

I am so glad a friend of mine told me this book was heavy and to read it in small pieces because this book absolutely tore me apart during the time I spent reading it. It's been a few days since I finished Sanctuary, and I'm still thinking about Vali and Ernie constantly and wondering what I can do now to prevent this near-future United States from becoming reality.

Sanctuary is set in the year 2032. Every person has a chip installed in their wrist. This chip is used for scanning at any point in time. Vali describes being scanned at least three times prior to entering her school building. Scans are normal when riding public transportation, paying bills, and whenever those in charge want to scan you. The President has just started his third term in office and all news stations are controlled by the government. Real news is only accessed through the dark web. One day, a 16-year-old migrant trying to enter California from Mexico is murdered when she steps on a land mine. From that moment on, all bets are off. The Deportation Police sweep into every corner of the United States to find and "get rid of" migrants: either those without chips or unofficial/stolen chips. California decides to secede from the United States offering sanctuary to migrants and a giant border wall is immediately under construction separating California from the rest of the U.S.

Vali lives in Vermont with her younger brother, Ernie, and her mom. Vali and her mom are refugees from Colombia. Before Ernie was born, Vali and her parents left a dangerous situation in Colombia and lived for awhile in California. Vali and her mother paid a great sum to get stolen chips installed in their wrists, but her father didn't have money for his own chip yet. Despite his best intentions, her dad was captured and returned to Colombia where a less than welcoming arrival awaited him. It's at this point when Vali's mother decides to move Vali and a young Ernie (who has a real chip) to the quiet state of Vermont where they have lived for many years with little trouble. After the horrific murder of the migrant, the Deportation Force is out scanning and capturing anyone who is not white. Within a matter of days, it is no longer safe to leave their apartment and Vali and her family must decide what to do.

Thus begins one of the scariest journeys I've ever read about. Vali's family sets off for New York City before trying to get to California. Vali doesn't anticipate being separated from her mom, but knows it could be a real possibility due to her mom's increasingly faulty chip. Soon enough Vali and Ernie find themselves all alone on their journey. What follows is a journey that terrified me and had me internally begging for my next chunk of time to sit and read. If I could issue a trigger warning for just about any traumatic event, I would. This book was horrific.

And yet, I could 100% see this reality coming true, especially if we aren't diligent about keeping conspiracy theories and certain politicians in check. This is not a book that has a happy ending (how can it?) but it certainly made me think about the way I want this country to look. I don't want to live in a world with ID chips or where we automatically assume someone isn't American because they aren't white. This book gave me some major [b:American Dirt|45046527|American Dirt|Jeanine Cummins|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559127861l/45046527._SY75_.jpg|69749472] vibes, simply because of the dangerous journey Vali and Ernie are on as they make their way west. This book is excellent and well worth the read, but know it is extremely heavy for a young adult book.

TW: family separation, murder, death, deportation, violence, blood, gun violence, attempted rape

YA, more culturally sensitive and inclusive version of the plot similar to American dirt. Except this is a dystopian American migration of someone living in VT whose chip identifies them as illegal. What could happen if people like #45 are in power separating families at the border. It is about family and loss and resilience. Or as one of the authors says, "it's about our human potential to love, or hate, or start a revolution."

There have been a lot of YA books in the last year or so about immigration, crossing the border, the threat of deportation (We Are Not From Here, The Grief Keeper, Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything, and more), spanning a variety genres.
All have been good.
All have also been heartbreaking and horrifying.
This one is no exception.
Sanctuary takes place in the very near possible future, and while he's not named until the author's note, the book is a scathing and terrifying look at what Trump's presidency and policies could lead to. Following Vali and her eight year old brother and their journey not into America and to a better life, but to a newly annexed California, this is a fast paced read that readers will have a hard time putting down. A great addition to the growing group of YA books looking at this subject.

What a really powerful YA voice and story. I cannot wait to put this on my classroom bookshelf. It is a timely read and one that punches the gut.