The Leavers by Lisa Ko - on Libby Audio - 15 hours

 I would never have read this book or stayed with it if it weren't for the new Monterey book group that I recently joined. It's not one I would have chosen, and after the first few depressing chapters I was ready to give it up, but I stuck with it because I like this group of women and wanted to be a contributor to our discussion. I'm glad I did, even though most of it was hard to live through.

This young Chinese boy is given up by his mother TWICE, and the resulting mental trauma is carefully chronicled through his years of searching for her, finding her, and eventually finding his own way. It's a torturous journey, however, helped along by well-intentioned adoptive family members. The story alternates through the viewpoints of Deming, the boy, and his mother. It's enlightening to ready about how easily people miss cues and interpret silence as neglect. It was also instructive to read about how tightly one clings to one's natural, known culture, despite its hardships and deprivations. 

I have long been aware of this culture deprivation through my experiences with Native cultures in South Dakota. How important it is to preserve language and family ties and traditions cannot be over stated, and it was beautifully illustrated in this book. I felt like the author had lived through these experiences herself and thus could describe them so accurately and heart-rendingly--if that's a word!

I listened to this book on my July road trip to Sacramento with Henry (when we weren't talking and he was on his games) and then on my way home alone, through Yosemite, and after I left Ann, on my way home to St. George. It made the long driving times very enjoyable and quick, despite the hard content!