What readers think of The Leavers, plus links to write your own review.

This book will leave you emotionally raw and potentially bruised, but it's worth the psychic pain because the story--illegal immigration and its consequences big and small--is vitally important, perhaps more so now than ever.

After a seesaw life of ups and downs in China, unwed Peilan moves to New York City to have the baby she is carrying. It soon becomes apparent she cannot care for her son, Deming, so she sends him back to China to live with her father. Eventually Deming returns to New York, but the fates are against Peilan, who has Americanized her name to Polly. When she disappears one day, Deming is declared abandoned. He is adopted by well-meaning white parents, and his world is upended. What happens next is heartbreaking--one person's distressing and tragic tale of illegal immigration. In this case, the microcosm explains the macrocosm.

Lisa Ko's "The Leavers" is a coming-of-age novel that works on many levels. In addition to exploring what it means to fully belong--or always live as "the other"--it examines the meaning of family, the meaning of the individual and the meaning of hope.

And best of all, it's a really good story.