Displaced Persons: Stories

by Joan Leegant

Set half in Israel and half in the United States, the stories in this prize-winning collection explore the experience of exile, belonging, and what it means to call a place home. A visiting professor from Boston forms an unlikely bond with an Israeli born in Iraq. Two teenage tourists are startled out of their naiveté in a restaurant in Jerusalem's Old City. A gifted yeshiva student spiraling into mental illness takes refuge in the poetry of Walt Whitman. An aged widower returns after sixty years to the Bronx neighborhood of his youth to make amends with a first love he abandoned to go to prison. Shimmering with insight and compassion, Displaced Persons is a profound, exquisite collection that illuminates pivotal moments of transition, longing, and hope.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

316 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2024

About the author

Joan Leegant's first book of stories, An Hour in Paradise: Stories, won the 2003 PEN/New England Book Award and the Edward Lewis Wallant Award, and was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. She is also the author of a novel, Wherever You Go. Her prize-winning fiction has appeared in over two dozen literary magazines and anthologies. Formerly an attorney, she has taught at Harvard, Oklahoma State, and Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle where she was also the writer-in-residence at Hugo House. For five years she was the visiting writer at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv where she also spoke at Israeli schools on American literature and culture under the auspices of the U.S. Embassy, and taught English to African refugees and asylum seekers. She lives in Newton, Massachusetts, with her family.

Reviews

[Erika Dreifus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb.

[Hilary Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story stands strong in this collection. Half of the stories set in Israel (before Oct 7), full of the complexity of life with people from many different cultures, refugees, etc, half set in the U.S. I appreciate the diverse voices within these stories, reflecting different corners of the global Jewish community. Very versatile author.

[Martha Anne Toll]

Here's my interview with this author in Vol.1 Brooklyn. https://vol1brooklyn.com/2024/06/14/j...

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this collection, but not as much as I’ve liked Leegant’s other fiction in the past. It’s been long enough that I’m unsure whether that means my tastes have changed, or if it’s this specific book vs the others.

This recently-published short story collection divides 14 stories into two parts—seven take place in “the east,” or Israel, and seven take part in “the west,” or the United States.

But almost all of the eastern stories center Jewish immigrants from the U.S., so there’s that. Often times the protagonists are involved somehow with marginalized communities, like in the titular story, “Displaced Persons,” where the protagonist works with African refugees. In “Remittances,” the protagonist has a haunted but secret past, and feels bad that she’s more accepted than Israel than the recently-arrived Russian Jews or the Filipino aid workers. Even in “Baghdadi,” which is a little on the nose regarding “the message of the story,” (choose reconciliation over bitterness,) the main character is dropped into the world of two Baghdadi Jews trying to justify culture shock as one of them is a recent immigrant.

The story that worked the least well for me came from this section. It’s “Beautiful Souls,” and I feel like I read it somewhere else in the past, but I’m not sure when or where. Here, two U.S. teenage tourists definitely face culture shock when they enter an Arab family restaurant in East Jerusalem, and catch the attention of an older flirtatious man. There’s an even darker ending with regards to a suicide bombing (though not as dark as a direct word association would make it appear.) All in all, I thought this plotline should have been more drawn out and more nuanced in a longer story. It just felt like fodder for polarization here.

In “the west” stories, most but not all of the characters were overtly Jewish. Mental illness and trauma played over a lot of the stories. Skimming over reviews, I think many people were taken with the writing of “Wild Animals,” which is somewhat stream of consciousness, flitting from character to character, past to present, in this family story where Leegant touches on the older generations’ associations with violent antisemitism, and the youngest generation’s tense encounter with a raccoon at a social dinner. I think I was a little more distracted while reading myself. I’ve kind’ve fallen out of stream of consciousness narration, much to the shock of my collegiate self. :P

In “The Book of Splendor,” the older son of a Hasidic family becomes mentally ill, and his condition draws parallels to the dangers of falling face first into the esoteric writings of the Zohar, or the Book of Wonders. The characters and situations worked better for me here than they did in the final story, “After.” Leegant’s writing was vague about what illness plagued her protagonist in the past, and the blasé way she “got over it.” Beyond that conceit, like with “The Baghdadi,” this was a touching story about finding forgiveness before it was too late.

I read all of these stories over the week of Chanukah, and I reviewed eight of them on BookTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqVMC... My favorite story was “Roots,” where the stubborn, elderly protagonist starts spreading tales when his formerly anarchist daughter goes to the other extreme and chooses a marriage to a straight-laced and self-righteous divorced dad. His kid falls hard for the step-grandpa’s stories of Jewish gangsters, hee. I thought the themes of where we come from and how those stories define us was explored well here. In other stories, even when I liked the characters and themes, they felt a little more disjointed.

Oftentimes, Leegant has a straight-forward, simplistic writing style that I don’t think speaks as well to me as it might’ve a decade or so ago. (Though at least her style is realist, so yaaaaay. :D) I guess that’s where I generally come down on the question I posed in the first paragraph of this review. But if she continues to publish, I’ll give consideration to her new literature. The reading journey, much like these characters find about their lives in these stories, is a bit of a journey.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spend a great deal of energy looking for books of interest – both for the paper and my personal reading. When I find an author I like, their name goes on one of my lists and I periodically check to see if they have a new work coming out. That list has gotten a bit out of hand so sometimes I miss a book. Take, for example, Joan Leegant. I read and reviewed her first two books: “An Hour in Paradise: Stories” (which was published in 2003 and won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award for the best book of Jewish-American fiction) and the novel “Wherever You Go” (which appeared in 2010). For years, I looked to see if she’d published any new work. After a decade with no new book, her name no longer appeared on the top of my to-look-for list. That means I was delighted to learn a new book of stories, “Displaced Persons” (New American Press), was being published. That work, which won the New American Fiction Prize, has reminded me of just how good a writer she is.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story in Joan Leegant's collection is exquisite - what a joy to read! Her characters include teenage girls on a trip to Israel with their parents, daughters and sisters trying to support their older parents or their ailing siblings, lecturers or volunteers, grouchy parents, two former soldiers, all of whom are struggling to with - what Janice Weizman calls in her review the "ongoing juxtaposition of high and low, good behavior and bad, truth, fiction, and the very fuzzy line between them." Half of the stories take place in the "East" (Israel), and the other half in the "West" (the US), but no matter the setting or storyline, the characters are immediately recognizable as reflections of ourselves. This would make a great choice for a book club discussion, especially short story book clubs that discuss each story per week. Highly, highly recommend! (And I'm looking forward to hearing Joan speak about her work at Literary Modiin's June event - register here: https://bit.ly/3UoOSiQ).

[Lisa Litz-Neavear · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think I liked short stories, but then I read Amor Towles' Table for Two and changed my mind. This book was chosen for One Hadassah One Book; the author will be interviewed online. I'm so glad this book was picked; I normally wouldn't have even heard of it. All the stories had captivating characters experiencing interesting or challenging situations. A good short story builds its world very quickly, and then leaves the reader feeling sad when the story ends because there is always more to know about the characters. The stories in this book were consistently good, and I highly recommend it. I can't wait to hear the author interviewed.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of contemporary short stories - half take place in Israel and half take place in the US - from the author of Wherever You Go (a novel) and An Hour in Paradise (also short stories). All of these new stories feature characters in some sort of exile who are struggling to find their place in the world. Other themes include parenthood, marriage, blended families, mental illness and grief, but there's humor too. A 2025 Association of Jewish Libraries Fiction Honor Award Winner, this collection is a strong possibility for my "Summer Stories" series at NSSBE.

[G.P. Gottlieb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the U.S. and Middle East, the characters in Joan Leegant’s elegant story collection, Displaced Persons, face loneliness, illness, difficult relationships, horrible memories, unfaithful husbands, and uncaring or dying parents. These are moving stories about recognizable people trying to overcome displacement of one kind or another.

I was honored to interview the author for a New Books Network interview: https://newbooksnetwork.com/displaced...

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prize winning short stories gathered together here for the reader. Some stories set in Israel showing the life of Israeli citizens and immigrants from a variety of countries. Some stories are. set in the United States. All the stories have in common that people everywhere are going through similar life experiences and traumas. The stories will speak to readers, because we are all going through personal issues that are similar to other people... so these stories really spoke to me.

[Roberta Braverman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book of short stories, each a stand alone. Set in Israel or the US, the characters and their relationships have universal appeal. Excellent descriptions of emotions and observations on life. This book won several awards and was chosen by Hadassah as their August 2024 “one book” read. The author joined in a book group chat on Zoom and provided excellent insights into her craft and intent while being very interactive with readers. Try it!

[liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a star off because I didn’t like how the writing style was inconsistent but for the most part this was a great find—I got it from a little free library. I don’t read short story collections often but maybe I shall try more. I really liked the variety in the characters and backgrounds. The stories were united by heritage and culture, but were otherwise all very different slice of life experiences. It was a good quick read. I think this book should definitely get more recognition.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories, some based in the US, some in Israel and the characters are either Israeli or American. Two of the stories focus on characters that become schizophrenic; one of the characters in another story commits murder in self-defense. Many of the stories are disturbing. The stories are only loosely connected by the theme of displaced. So it is easy to read each as a stand-alone, taking a break between stories.

[Karli Sherwinter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved almost all of these short stories. I’m curious to know how much of her own experiences were woven into the narratives. There is tremendous creativity, but a lot of the emotional turmoil felt very distinct and real. She did work with African refugees in South Tel Aviv, but I don’t know if her husband left her after many years of marriage. Did something happen to her family on sabbatical?

[R.L. Maizes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read a collection with a voice as engaging as Joan Leegant’s in a long time. I savored each story and each one moved me. I loved the exploration of Israeli life as well as the deeply compassionate portrayal of mental illness. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many short stories just put together as a collection. Some stories were a little better. The book was mostly a sad commentary about family friends relationships. I’m going to hear the author and maybe I’ll get a better understanding of the stories and their reflections.

[Marleene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story in this collection is a gem. Leegant crafts her situations and characters with great skill, deftly creating a masterpiece of a collection. Whether cultural, geographic or emotional, her characters resonate with the theme of displacement and echo a universal longing for “home”.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very best of what short stories can be!

[Emily Kahn-freedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerfully written stories about Jews in Israel and America.

[Julie Goschalk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing

[Lynne Golodner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely stories, by an immensely talented writer!

[Talya Jankovits · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellently written collection.

[Marly Robins · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories didn't grab my heart in any way.

[Janetk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting set of short stories. At times it seemed like the author dropped us into the middle of a story and left us before it was over. It was one of those books that I felt like I might be missing something. I realize these stories were written over many years and then compiled into a book, which I think worked overall based on how the book was structured, but the topics didn't always flow smoothly. I gave it four stars for the writing and thought provoking themes throughout.

[Megan McCarthy-Biank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether in the East or the West, whether traveling involuntarily or by their own free will, all the characters share a common thread. They are all seeking a place to call home, a definition of what home is, and the personal growth needed to get there. Whether the displacement is physical or spiritual, Leegant’s writing style takes readers through the heartbreak and triumph found in these stories.

In-depth book review: http://cantinabookclub.com/review/dis...

Podcast interview with Joan Leegant:
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dwU...
YouTube: https://youtu.be/XFgBHIsqums?si=E7xFB...

[Anca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The characters in these stories are deliciously complex. I was delighted to learn from Joan how important voice is to her creative process, something we talked about in our conversation for Chicago Review of Books: https://chireviewofbooks.com/2024/06/...