Many of the questions she asks the children are unanswerable, beyond comprehension, or too sad to muster a coherent response, but the call to action for the rest of us is much clearer: Luiselli’s work is a testament to her commitment to making these stories known and heard. Often, they are deported as “illegals” before receiving legal support or due process to obtain refugee status. The maddeningly concise questions minimize the underlying tragedy-the fact that thousands of children with the right to political asylum, the right to a dignified life free of violence and persecution, are quickly filtered through the US legal system. As she fills out the intake questionnaire with each child, she attempts the impossible task of reducing the traumas of their life into a few blank lines. In Tell Me How it Ends, Valeria Luiselli shares her experience as an interpreter for refugee children from Central America arriving in the US. An essay in 40 questions: Why did you come to the US? Where are your parents? Any problems with the government in your home country?
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