Ander & Santi Were Here

Reach for this book when your teenager is grappling with the weight of first love, the beauty of self-expression, or the anxiety of a world that feels increasingly precarious for marginalized communities. It is a vital resource for parents whose children are navigating their gender identity or seeking to understand the harsh realities of the immigration system through a lens of empathy rather than statistics. The story follows Ander, a nonbinary muralist, and Santi, an undocumented waiter, as they fall in love in San Antonio. Beyond the romance, the book explores how art serves as a sanctuary and a form of protest. It is a deeply moving, mature contemporary novel that honors the intensity of teenage emotions while providing a realistic look at the systemic forces that threaten chosen families. Choose this to normalize nonbinary identities and to spark meaningful dialogue about justice and belonging.