Stephen Mateo

Journey: Based on a True Story Stephen Mateo 1st edition

Journey is the true story of Tomas Mateo Castellano and the secret he's kept from his family his entire life. It's 1946 in Franco's fascist Spain. Tomas is 17 years old, living on the remote Canary Islands, where they are still recovering from three years of bloody civil war. Torn between the family he loves and the desire to be free from tyranny, Tomas makes a life changing decision that alters not only his life forever, but also everyone he cares most about in the world. Tomas plans his escape in the middle of the night stealing a sailboat and setting sail across the Atlantic to America in search of freedom and the life he's been dreaming about - leaving behind everything he knows and loves. This story follows his extraordinary adventure, and the suffering a family goes through after waking up one morning to find their son has disappeared . . . not knowing whether he is alive or dead.