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What happens to the child left behind? Jubair's family is stuck in Myanmar, until his mother escapes—with three out of four children. On the cusp of adolescence, the young boy—interned to a farmer—is filled with rage. Jubair is left to sleep in the woods and fend for himself. He does not know how to read and write, so why does his mother even bother smuggling in these letters? Jubair begins to express this anger in his own letters, as he develops a level of literacy, eventually becoming a reader and writer. An epistolary novel, Why No Goodbye? explores loss, grief and transcendence.
Blurbs
The Author
Pamela L. Laskin is a lecturer in the English Department at The City College, where she directs The Poetry Outreach Center and teaches children's writing in the MFA Division. She is the author of five books of poetry and several picture books, most recently Homer the Little Stray Cat (2017). Harper Collins published Ronit & Jamil, a Palestinian/Israeli Romeo and Juliet in verse for teens, in 2017. She is a member of PSA, American Academy of Poets & SCBWI.
Blurbs
At times heartbreaking, at times shatteringly beautiful…. The rawness of Jabair's anger is all-encompassing and powerful…. Amid this pain are startling moments of joy and empathy. A beautiful meditation on forgiveness after great loss, and the unbearable pain of separation.”—Marie-Helene Bertino, author of 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas
Based on true events, Pamela L. Laskin captures the anguished survival of a 13-year-old boy after he is abandoned by his refugee family in war-torn Myanmar…. In breathtaking free verse, Laskin explores the heart of this uneducated, desperate man-child as he struggles with feelings of betrayal and rage, all while experiencing the aching confusion of new love. Informed by her own daughter's on-location aid work with refugees from Myanmar, Laskin goes beyond the headlines to create a stunningly poignant tale of grief, struggle, and emotional redemption.—Suzanne Weyn, author of The Bar Code Tattoo trilogy
Laskin bravely and movingly tackles one of our decade's saddest and direst human rights crises. The protagonist of Why No Goodbye? must contend with a double loss: his family and his land. Laskin's use of letters written in verse convincingly portrays Jubair's dislocation and loneliness, while also ensuring that he and other characters remain flesh and blood, vital and very human. This is an extraordinary accomplishment.—Hasanthika Sirisena, author of The Other One, winner of The Juniper Prize for Fiction
There has been a lot written about the Rohingya crisis in recent years, but nothing quite like this. Why No Goodbye? is unique in form and heart-wrenching in content. Through verse, the author helps expose the painful wake of the world's newest genocide.—Matthew Smith, co-founder and CEO, Fortify Rights
The Author
Pamela L. Laskin is a lecturer in the English Department at The City College, where she directs The Poetry Outreach Center and teaches children's writing in the MFA Division. She is the author of five books of poetry and several picture books, most recently Homer the Little Stray Cat (2017). Harper Collins published Ronit & Jamil, a Palestinian/Israeli Romeo and Juliet in verse for teens, in 2017. She is a member of PSA, American Academy of Poets & SCBWI.
Price: $0.99
Publisher: Leapfrog Press
Imprint: Leapfrog Press
Publication Date:
10 November 2019
ISBN: 9781948585071
Format: eBook
Pre-pub Blurbs
Selected reviews of Ronit and Jamil
•Listed as one of the 35 most anticipated YA novels of 2017 by Entertainment Weekly
•Reviews have appeared in many places, including Horn Book, American Book Review, Teen Reads, A Gathering of the Tribes, Jewish Book Council, Bulletin of the Center for Children&appos;s Books, Manhattan Book Review, YA Books Central, AudioFile
Excerpts from reviews
At times heartbreaking, at times shatteringly beautiful.… The rawness of Jabair's anger is all-encompassing and powerful.… Amid this pain are startling moments of joy and empathy. A beautiful meditation on forgiveness after great loss, and the unbearable pain of separation.—Marie-Helene Bertino, author of 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas
Based on true events, Pamela L. Laskin captures the anguished survival of a 13-year-old boy after he is abandoned by his refugee family in war-torn Myanmar In breathtaking free verse, Laskin explores the heart of this uneducated, desperate man-child as he struggles with feelings of betrayal and rage, all while experiencing the aching confusion of new love. Informed by her own daughter's on-location aid work with refugees from Myanmar, Laskin goes beyond the headlines to create a stunningly poignant tale of grief, struggle, and emotional redemption.—Suzanne Weyn, author of The Bar Code Tattoo trilogy
Laskin bravely and movingly tackles one of our decade's saddest and direst human rights crises. The protagonist of Why No Goodbye? must contend with a double loss: his family and his land. Laskin's use of letters written in verse convincingly portrays Jubair's dislocation and loneliness, while also ensuring that he and other characters remain flesh and blood, vital and very human. This is an extraordinary accomplishment.—Hasanthika Sirisena, author of The Other One, winner of The Juniper Prize for Fiction
There has been a lot written about the Rohingya crisis in recent years, but nothing quite like this. Why No Goodbye? is unique in form and heart-wrenching in content. Through verse, the author helps expose the painful wake of the world's newest genocide.—Matthew Smith, co-founder and CEO, Fortify Rights
Selected reviews of Ronit and Jamil
•Listed as one of the 35 most anticipated YA novels of 2017 by Entertainment Weekly
•Reviews have appeared in many places, including Horn Book, American Book Review, Teen Reads, A Gathering of the Tribes, Jewish Book Council, Bulletin of the Center for Children&appos;s Books, Manhattan Book Review, YA Books Central, AudioFile
Excerpts from reviews
Laskin's spare first-person poems and prefatory and end notes help educate young readers as to the gravity of the political stakes in this war-torn region. … At once romantic and revealing, an important window into contemporary conditions in the Middle East.—Kirkus
Ronit & Jamil is as beautiful as it is timely. This modern-day Romeo and Juliet is a story that is at once supremely specific and stunningly universal. The poems stand on their own while holding together a narrative that you want to live inside of long after the final page.—Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
Writing in clipped, understated verse, Laskin…sensitively describes two lovers weaving their way through social, political, and familial hurdles designed to keep them apart. A lyrical message of peace and love radiates from this relevant and hopeful reimagining.—Publishers WeeklyThe modern verse—flecked with Arabic, Hebrew, and iconic excerpts from the play itself—will ease romance-hungry teens into both Shakespeare's original and the challenging context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A welcome nod to hope in the face of the impossible.—Booklist
Accessible verse and universal questions about crossing cultural lines make for a quick and powerful read. An obvious choice to pair with Romeo and Juliet in a literature class, this can also open discussion about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and about bridging cultural boundaries.—School Library Journal
At once romantic and revealing, an important window into contemporary conditions in the Middle East.&mdashKirkus
Pamela L. Laskin is a lecturer in the English Department at The City College, where she directs The Poetry Outreach Center and teaches children's writing in the MFA Division. She is the author of five books of poetry and several picture books, most recently Homer the Little Stray Cat (2017). Harper Collins published Ronit & Jamil, a Palestinian/Israeli Romeo and Juliet in verse for teens, in 2017. She is a member of PSA, American Academy of Poets & SCBWI.