Lost Children Archive

A novel

By: Valeria Luiselli

Narrated by: Valeria Luiselli, Kivlighan de Montebello, William DeMeritt, Maia Enrigue Luiselli

"Impossibly smart, full of beauty, heart and insight . . . Everyone should read this book."--Tommy Orange

From the two-time NBCC Finalist, an emotionally resonant, fiercely imaginative new novel about a family whose road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border--an indelible journey told with breathtaking imagery, spare lyricism, and profound humanity.

A mother and father set out with their two children, a boy and a girl, driving from New York to Arizona in the heat of summer. Their destination: Apacheria, the place the Apaches once called home.

Why Apaches? asks the ten-year-old son. Because they were the last of something,answers his father.

In their car, they play games and sing along to music. But on the radio, there is news about an "immigration crisis": thousands of kids trying to cross the southwestern border into the United States, but getting detained--or lost in the desert along the way.

As the family drives--through Virginia to Tennessee, across Oklahoma and Texas--we sense they are on the brink of a crisis of their own. A fissure is growing between the parents, one the children can almost feel beneath their feet. They are led, inexorably, to a grand, harrowing adventure--both in the desert landscape and within the chambers of their own imaginations.

Told through several compelling voices, blending texts, sounds, and images, Lost Children Archive is an astonishing feat of literary virtuosity. It is a richly engaging story of how we document our experiences, and how we remember the things that matter to us the most. With urgency and empathy, it takes us deep into the lives of one remarkable family as it probes the nature of justice and equality today.

Includes a PDF of visuals from the book.

ECHO...O...O...

This novel is not written in the more conventional way. At times it feels more like poetry than prose. It is full of analogies, parallels, correlations and "echos." It's about a family, no proper names are given, on a road trip from New York to Arizona. The why, how and when of the trip are all part of the story.

A Haunting Story - Mesmerizing from the First Page

Once started, you won't want to put it down. This is a deeply haunting story that will grab your heart and wrench it with the truth of life of the lost children of immigrants who simply want a good and better life for their children and who risk it all for them, even unto death. The author captures life through a lens not often understood by those of white privilege and is eye and heart opening. My prayers are for all the lost children.

Wow

I heard the author speak on NPR and downloaded the book because it sounded interesting. I had no idea what I was in for. Amazing in so many ways. I won’t spoil it for you. Read it for yourself.

Wonderful Listen

Let me bottom line this from the outset: I loved this book. But the first few chapters had me wondering what I was listening to, and I replayed sections a few times. I'll bet others quit before it really takes hold. I almost never like an author to read their own book. But here, it makes the story feel like a memoir. I also usually hate any manipulation or Production Value addition. But here, it adds so much texture and color to the characters and story. Well Done!

I was drawn in by the interesting intersection of the parents arcane fields of study. A marriage falling apart while the children hold on for dear life, the relevant story of missing children, the history of unprotected orphans, the issues of immigration, the crises at the boarder, and our past sins of genocide all paint a picture of our failings as human beings, while we fight our own human frailties.

But this story unfolds like a blossom, pedal by pedal and doesn't make a painful, depressing listen. That comes after the story settles into you psyche. This is a very uniquely written book. Poetic in places, lyrical in others. And definitely, better listened to than read.

Extraordinary narrative!

Immigrant families, especially children, seeking asylum, which is legal, during President Trump’s administration has been a nightmarish experience for those escaping violence and famine. Unfortunately American nationalism has rendered these asylum-seekers as less than human, creating an atmosphere of intolerance and apathy toward the children who are separated by ICE from their families and caged like animals, some of which are lost in the bureaucratic shuffle. The stories we read or hear from journalists often fail to raise our consciousness about the universality of family life & every child’s place w/in the context of this all too vital social unit.

Regardless of race, indigenous tribe, ethnic background, or nationality, Valeria Luiselli takes us through a multilayered narrative journey that will make us—as It made me—think about how much families and children have in common, and how this awareness helps us become more empathetic.