The Leavers

Immigration and immigrant experiences play a central role in the novel. How does Ko disrupt and subvert mainstream tropes and narratives regarding the experiences of immigrants while also educating readers about their real lives?

• What common narratives related to immigrants are widespread in media? How do the characters’ experiences depart from or subvert these mainstream media narratives?
• What reasons do the characters have for emigrating? Why do they leave? 
• How does immigration impact each of the characters’ identities?
• Based on the characters, what similarities and differences are there between being first- and second-generation immigrants?
• What institutions intertwine with immigration experiences in the novel, and what layers does this add to the concept of an immigrant experience?

Teaching Suggestion: Students may benefit from written copies of the questions to refer to while discussing and/or from previewing questions ahead of time to prepare in-depth, text-based answers. Group or personal notetaking may increase information retention.

Differentiation Suggestion: Nonverbal or socially anxious students may benefit from the opportunity to submit written responses in place of verbal participation. Students with hearing impairments may benefit from optimized seating and transcribed discussion notes. Multilingual language learners and those with attentional and/or executive functioning differences may benefit from pre-highlighted, pre-marked, or annotated passages to locate textual support when answering.