Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Leavers

The Leavers
The Leavers
Author: Lisa Ko
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...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781616206888
ISBN-10: 1616206888
Publication Date: 5/2/2017
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 5

3.7 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 34
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Leavers on + 379 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
The Leavers puts a face on illegal immigration and the challenges of belonging in a world where you speak a different language and may not resemble your peers in culture or appearance. This is the story of Peilan/Polly, an undocumented Chinese immigrant who came to America with hope for a brighter future. She was also single and pregnant. Initially ambivalent about having the child, when her son is born, she loves him fully and without hesitation. Polly's life is filled with hardship and fatigue, forcing her to acknowledge she cannot adequately care for Deming/Daniel, so she sends him back to China to live with her father. When her father dies, Deming returns to his mother in New York City and an unknown culture.

Five years later, Polly disappears, leaving Deming at the mercy of Polly's boyfriend and his sister. He ends up in foster care, and is adopted by a white couple who live in the suburbs in a completely different environment than he has ever known, and he is renamed Daniel. These adoptive parents provide support and encouragement throughout the years, but Deming/Daniel continues to wonder about his biological mother and where he belongs. This story evolves into the mystery regarding his mother's disappearance and how her abandonment has permeated his thoughts and actions.

Algonquin fiction rarely disappoints its readers with the quality and substance of its novels. This one is no exception. Lisa Ko is a talented author who writes with confidence about a subject that is heartbreakingly real and very timely. She won won the PEN/Bellwether prize for Socially Engaged Fiction for a novel that reminds us of the struggles many among us endure.
Read All 3 Book Reviews of "The Leavers"

Book Wiki

Original Publication Date (YYYY-MM-DD)
People/Characters
Deming Guo (Primary Character)
Polly Guo (Primary Character)
Important Events

Genres: