Tell Me How It Ends

The book is a short nonfiction work based on Luiselli’s experiences volunteering as a translator for undocumented Latin American children in U.S. immigration courts. It’s structured around the forty questions these children are asked during intake interviews — questions intended to determine their eligibility for asylum or legal relief. Through these interviews and her reflections, Luiselli humanizes the harrowing journeys of the children as they flee violence, poverty, and persecution in countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. She contrasts the hope many of them carry with the harsh reality of U.S. immigration bureaucracy, highlighting systemic injustice, the limitations of the legal process, and the gap between the ideals of the “American Dream” and the lived experiences of those seeking refuge. Interwoven with her own story as an immigrant and observer, the essay underscores the broader political, historical, and moral issues surrounding migration, inviting readers to see beyond statistics toward the individual lives behind them.