Why No Goodbye?
Written by Pamela Laskin
Published by Leapfrog Press
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.

Primary ISBN:
Available As: Paperback
Young Adult, Age 13 or older
Community Represented: Burmese/Burmese American
Themes: Education & Literacy, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Separation: On Journey, Human Rights Violation: Genocide, Loss of Childhood, Refugee Journey, Refugee: Persecution
Setting: Myanmar
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: In Home Country, Refugee
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