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Community comment are the opinions of contributing users. These comment do not represent the opinions of Tulsa City-County Library.
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 resilient character. Though Polly and the many friends she makes on her journey, the author shows us the many layers, good and bad, of immigrant culture. In the current political environment, illegal immigrants are seen by some in a very negative light--as criminals, rapists, people wanting to sponge off the US government. But how can we fault people for wanting a better life for themselves and their families? The Leavers tells the story of Polly, the mom, and her life journey as a young girl from a poor village, then an immigrant in New York, then a businesswoman in China. It also tells the story of her American-born son, who at 11 years old got left behind when Polly got deported and remained unanchored, despite being adopted and well cared-for by a nice white couple in upstate New York. Both mom and son were scarred for life by her capture and deportation, and this is the story of how they learned to live with themselves and their dual identities as Chinese and American. I highly recommend this book!