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The Leavers: A Novel Audiobook
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Publisher Description
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.
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“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.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
Quotes
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“Narrator Emily Woo Zeller ably voices Ko’s many characters and imagery-laden prose.”
— Library Journal (starred audio review) -
“Ko’s exploration of the often-brutal immigrant experience in America is a moving tale of family and belonging.”
— People -
“An unsparing portrait of the resilience and grit it takes to risk everything to break free of tradition and start over in a foreign land.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“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)
Awards
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Finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction
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A Library Journal Best Audiobook of 2017
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A 2017 Entertainment Weekly Best Books of the Year pick
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A Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2017
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An NPR Best Book of 2017
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A 2017 Buzzfeed Best Books of the Year selection
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An Oprah Pick of Favorite Books of 2017
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A People Pick of the Week
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A May 2017 LibraryReads Pick
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About Lisa Ko
Lisa Ko is a founding coeditor of Hyphen and a fiction editor at Drunken Boat. Her fiction has appeared in Best American Short Stories 2016, Narrative, Copper Nickel, and the Asian Pacific American Journal.
About Emily Woo Zeller
Emily Woo Zeller is an artist, actor, dancer, choreographer, and voice artist who has won Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration in 2018. She began her voice-over career by voicing animation in Asia. AudioFile magazine named her one of the Best Voices of 2013 for her work in Gulp. Other awards include the 2009 Tristen Award for Best Actress as Sally Bowles in Cabaret and the 2006 Roselyn E. Schneider Prize for Creative Achievement.