Title:The Leavers
Author:Lisa Ko
Published:May 2017, Algonquin Books
Format:Hardcover, 352 pages
One morning, Deming Guo’s
mother, an undocumented Chinese immigrant named Polly, goes to her job
at the nail salon and never comes home. No one can find any trace of
her.With his mother gone, eleven-year-old Deming is left with no
one to care for him. He is eventually adopted by two white college
professors who move him from the Bronx to a small town upstate. They
rename him Daniel Wilkinson in their efforts to make him over into their
version of an “all-American boy.” But far away from all he’s ever
known, Daniel struggles to reconcile his new life with his mother’s
disappearance and the memories of the family and community he left
behind.Set in New York and China, The Leavers is a vivid
and moving examination of borders and belonging. It’s the story of how
one boy comes into his own when everything he’s loved has been taken
away–and how a mother learns to live with the mistakes of her past.This
powerful debut is the winner of the 2016 PEN/Bellwether Prize for
fiction, awarded by Barbara Kingsolver for a novel that addresses issues
of social justice.
What readers are saying:
“…dazzling debut… Filled with exquisite, heartrending details, Ko’s
exploration of the often-brutal immigrant experience in America is a
moving tale of family and belonging.—People (Book of the Week)
“When Deming Guo was 11, his Chinese immigrant mother, Polly, left for
work at a nail salon and never returned. In alternating perspectives,
this heart-wrenching literary debut tells both of their stories. Grade:
A” —Entertainment Weekly
“Lisa Ko’s The Leavers is the year’s powerful debut you won’t want to miss. The Leavers
expertly weaves a tale of the conflicts between love and loyalty,
personal identity and familial obligation, and the growing divide
between freedom and social justice. An affecting novel that details the
the gut-wrenching realities facing illegal immigrants and their families
in modern America, Lisa Ko’s debut is the 2017 fiction release you
can’t afford to miss.” —Bustle.com
“Consider this book a must-read: They may be fictional, but these
characters have a lot to teach us about the difficulties of belonging
and the plight of illegal immigrants.” —Marie Claire
“Poignant and timely, this novel is ripe for discussion.” —Real Simple
“One of 2017’s most anticipated fiction debuts… The winner of last
year’s PEN/Bellwether Prize, which recognizes fiction that explores
issues of social justice, The Leavers feels as relevant as ever as the future of immigrants in America hangs in the balance.” —Time.com
“Ko’s debut is a sweeping examination of family through the eyes of a
single mother, a Chinese immigrant, and her U.S.-born son, whose
separation haunts and defines their lives. Ko’s stunning tale of love
and loyalty – to family, to country — is a fresh and moving look at
the immigrant experience in America, and is as timely as ever.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Touching upon themes such as identity, determination, addiction, and
loyalty, the author clearly shows readers that she is an emerging writer
to watch. Ko’s writing is strong, and her characters, whether major or
minor, are skillfully developed. Readers who enjoy thoughtfully told
relationship tales by authors such as Lisa See, Jamie Ford, and Nadia
Hashimi will appreciate.” —Library Journal, starred review
“Vividly written and moving, The Leavers is an engrossing story of one young boy struggling to adjust to his new life without his mother and community.” —Buzzfeed
“This timely novel depicts the heart- and spirit-breaking difficulties
faced by illegal immigrants with meticulous specificity.” —Kirkus Reviews
“…skillfully written…those who are interested in closely observed, character-driven fiction will want to leave room for The Leavers on their shelves.” —Booklist
“What Ko seeks to do with The Leavers
is illuminate the consequence of [deportation] facilities, and of the
deportation machine as a whole, on individual lives. Ko’s book arrives
at a time when it is most needed; its success will be measured in its
ability to move its readership along the continuum between complacency
and advocacy.” —Los Angeles Review of Books
“…The Leavers…using
effective literary techniques and beautiful language – powerfully
illustrates the impact that social policies and injustice have on the
lives of individuals and families.” —Bookreporter.com
An “assured debut novel…a timely story of immigrant families in
America…a thoughtful work about undocumented immigrants and the threats
they endure.” —BookPage
“There was a time I
would have called Lisa Ko’s novel beautifully written, ambitious and
moving, and all of that is true, but it’s more than that now: if you
want to understand a forgotten and essential part of the world we live
in, The Leavers is required reading.” —Ann Patchett
“Courageous, sensitive, and perfectly of this moment: The Leavers is everything I could hope for in a winner of the Bellwether Prize.” —Barbara Kingsolver
“In The Leavers, Lisa
Ko has created one of the most courageous mother character’s in recent
memory. Polly is brash, brave and heartbreaking and her ferocity is
marvelous to behold. The Leavers is about the bonds between parents and children and the many pulls of home. It was a book I did not want to end.” —Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman
“A rich and sensitive portrait of lives lived across borders, cultures,
and languages. . . one of the most engaging, deeply probing, and
beautiful books I have read this year.” —Laila Lalami, author of The Moor’s Account
“A moving mother/son story and welcome contribution to immigrant
literature. In writing about Polly and her son Deming, Ko captures one
family’s unique experience of becoming American while also exposing the
loss of status, economic desperation, physical endangerment, and
psychological grit of the undocumented worker as well as the alienation,
double consciousness, mobility, and comparative access of the first
generation.” —Emily Raboteau, author of Searching for Zion
“The story’s most heartbreaking disclosures are powerful in their
indictment of the unrealistic expectations placed upon struggling
families.” —Foreword Reviews
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The Leavers by Lisa Ko is one of BookSparks “Summer Reads” reading selection picks.
Follow the #SRC2017 hashtag on twitter to read reviews on this book as well
as reviews on the other summer books! Also, be sure to check out the BookSparks Facebook page for the#SRC2017
and other fun links. You can participate in weekly secret missions for
chances to win signed copies of selected books and more! There’s a new
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