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Comments (24)

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Dec 15, 2023EljayJohnson rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I failed to connect with the two central characters in a way that would allow me to empathize and be deeply interested in them. I felt like many, many topics (abandonment, trauma, immigration, racism, cross-cultural adoption, and more)…
Mar 11, 2023appleylemons rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
When Deming Guo is eleven years old, his mother vanishes without a trace. Left in the care of an aunt who later gives him up for adoption, he is adopted by white (but well-meaning) parents who take him to a small town that lacks diversity.…
Jul 12, 2022IndyPL_CarriG rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Sometimes books about people who are this real can make people angry. This melancholy but ultimately hopeful novel by Lisa Ko that shows the tragic consequences of our country's failed immigration practices shows those consequences from…
Mar 05, 2022liaxchoi rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The Leavers, by Lisa Ko, is a unique story that vividly captures the insane experiences of a close-knit family that is ripped apart and forced to live in two separate worlds. This book follows two different viewpoints: one of Deming Guo,…
Oct 03, 2021maipenrai rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I found this well written novel exceedingly sad. Deming throughout the story seeks to be worthy of love because he believes his mother chose to leave him in New York and return to China. His adoptive family, though loving, try to make…
May 10, 2021firebird770 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book was read at the same time as the Fiction Title Brother by David Chariandy . There seemed an amazing similarity in terms of social justice, a sense of hopelessness with living conditions, poverty and inequities. Very well…
Jan 19, 2020LindNor11 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An engaging story about cross-cultural adoption and problems faced by immigrants new to this country. Believable and thought-provoking. An anachronism referred to by another reviewer didn't detract from the plot.
Aug 27, 2019Ghettostone rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
From: Ghettostone Publications Company's Editor/ Chief Michael R. Brown and the BEST SELLER'S BOOK CLUB, a review of "The Leavers" by Lisa Ko. The book "THE LEAVERS" an enriching award winning story about one of America's hottest…
Aug 02, 2019
could not keep reading - the constant refrain of the protagonist was too much
Apr 02, 2019cknightkc rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
THE LEAVERS is an ambitious novel with timely themes. It follows the struggles of 2 main characters: the undocumented Chinese immigrant Peilan/Polly and her son, Deming/Daniel. Their storylines are told to varying degrees of success by…
Feb 05, 2019ellenmargaret1953 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Lisa Ko caught me completely off guard with this eye opener. Timely and heartbreaking as Polly, and illegal Chines Immigrant to the US works to create a safe and loving life for her son, but everything goes awry when ICE pick her up and…
Jul 09, 2018MaggieBrooklyn rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved this story of a mom and her son, and all the challenges and difficult choices they both had to make. Polly is just trying to make a better life for herself, and despite her struggles and hardships, she maintains a strong and…
Apr 01, 2018Mya614 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Loved this book, although the first couple chapters was hard for me to get into. It pulls with your emotions of betrayal, abandonment, adoption, culture etc.
Feb 13, 2018brangwinn rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This story is so relevant for today. If you have no future in your native land, and come to the US illegally, you end up living a shadow life. You can’t expect to have much of a future. When Polly leaves China for what she hopes will be a…
Jan 04, 2018wendyjotaylor rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
What confusion Ms. Ko has about matching technology to actual timeline. It is unbelievable that her editors did not pick up on this!!! On page 179 Polly "takes out her phone to call Yi Ba" Unfortunate that Ms. Ko has assigned a cell…
Oct 29, 2017laphampeak rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Daniel, Deming Guo, was adopted by an American couple under circumstances the reader will much later find out. In the meantime Daniel's life unfolds as he remembers his childhood and those who helped shape his adult life. The author…
Oct 03, 2017lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Impressive and moving debut novel about a mother and son who are separated. The novel begins with the disappearance of a young Chinese-American's mother, who is in the country illegally. He has no idea what's happened to her and is adopted…
Sep 18, 2017ArapahoeMarina rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ko takes us behind the headlines about ICE raids and deportation to flesh out a moving and mournful tale of a son growing up without a mother, her mystery a constant, gnawing puzzle that colors his whole life.
Aug 29, 2017ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is a compelling and sensitive story of a Chinese immigrant and her son. Life becomes complicated and you feel for the boy and eventually for his mother as the story unfolds.
Jun 19, 2017
please don't throw tomatoes at me. i could not sympathize with the protagonist at all; at times, i wanted to smack him and say grow up already!
Jun 09, 2017
The Leavers is one of the best books I've read this year. Deming Guo struggles to find his true identity and sense of belonging after growing up in both New York City and Fouzhou, China. His life at age 6 falls apart when his mother…
Jun 05, 2017karen3515 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Set in New York and China, The Leavers, is told from the perspectives of an American born boy and his undocumented Chinese immigrant mother. When young Deming Gou's mother Polly disappears, he is adopted by a caucasian couple who are…
May 13, 2017njon38 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Winner of the Barbara Kingsolver Bellwether prize it is an immigrant story that is simply engrossing. It explores the question of of how one finds a a comfortable place after living in two separate and vastly different cultures. One…
May 05, 2017jpainter rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended read that tugs at the heart while engaging the mind. This personal narrative presents places, faces, character traits, and backstories that are seamlessly woven to reflect the immigrant experiences of several…