Winner of the Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize
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
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 PajamasBased 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.
