China Dolls, by Lisa See

Characters
Grace Lee – born in America, Chinese but raised “American” Abused by father Helen Fong – born in America, raised Chinese Ba - father Monroe – brother, married an Occidental Lai Kai and Dajun– first husband and son, killed by Japanese Tommy – son with Tim McNulty Ruby Tom – Kimiko Fukutomi, born in America, Japanese, hid ethnicity Hideo – brother, killed by Americans Yori – brother, internment camp, enlisted Joe Mitchell – pilot in war Tim McNulty – manager C. C. Brown’s, affair with Helen Ray Boiler – killed Ida	Forbidden City Night Club
	Charlie Low Eddie Wu – dancer, gay, married Helen, dance act together Li Tei Ming – Charlie’s wife, singer Ida – “pony”, became Grace’s roommate, hid Japanese ethnicity Lin Sisters – “warbling trio”

 For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from paperback edition of novel.

1. Discuss how the three families approached their ethnicity and living in America:
1. Grace – denied Chinese culture and raised totally as an American.
2. Helen – raised Chinese, no American influence
3. Ruby – raised in Japanese culture but decided to pass as Chinese for career
2. In the same vein, discuss how each girl was raised and how it impacted their lives:
1. Grace – act totally American
2. Helen – follow Chinese culture: no touching, cannot show teeth when smile, subservient to father
3. Ruby – raised in Japanese culture: rules such as “smile behind pressed fingers so I’d look more alluring” and “begin each sentence as though everything were my fault” (page 80).  

3. Did you see Grace’s father in a different light when you read about her mother’s story on pages 288-289 and the story of her birth on 116-117?  Grace remembered that her dad was a dreamer, and that “Dreamers are born to be disappointed.  My dad was, certainly, and in this single regard I now understood him in a way I never had before” (page 116).
4. Grace’s parents became totally Americanized, but Grace was still bullied in school by three girls of Finnish heritage: Velma, Ilsa and Maude.   When she slowly realized that the three girls were themselves outsiders and that they picking on her to boost themselves, she thought, “It takes training to learn how to be a bigot” (page 116).  Did this give you any insight into why people bully or put others down?
5. Ruby was more Americanized than her family, denied her Japanese heritage, and did not necessarily support Japan’s war efforts.  For example, she called Japan’s “rape of Nanking a war crime” (page 81) and was slapped by her mother who called her ungrateful.  Her parents also disapproved of the fact that she had her own opinions and liked boys.  How did all of this influence her life?
6. In the days after Pearl Harbor, both Grace and Helen were suspicious of Ruby. When Ruby expressed fear about being taken to internment camp Helen said, “What about us?  What’s going to happen to Tommy and me?  They [the Japanese] could come and kill you, Grace” (page 180).   Were these feelings expected? 
7. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor when Ruby was crying in her room, Grace did not go comfort her because she “didn’t want her to lose even more face by seeing me” (page 187).  Ruby brought this up again at the end of the novel, page 350.  Was this a cultural reaction or an excuse not to get involved?   Do you think she should have gone to her?
8. What did you think about Helen as her story was revealed throughout the novel?  Were you able to understand her actions, particularly trying to turn Ruby against Grace and spreading the rumor that Grace turned in Ruby?
9. How well do you think the author portrayed the reactions and feelings of the various people in America after the bombing of Pearl Harbor?
10. The entertainers felt they were doing their part in the war effort by entertaining, and in many cases going to bed with, soldiers. Were they justified in this behavior?  Were these actions viewed in a different light during that time period?  How would that be viewed now?
11. Were you surprised to read that Helen turned Ruby in and that Grace was blamed?  Even though she had kept Ruby’s secret before, Grace was now afraid to help Ruby or answer her letters (page 235).  How much did Helen influence Grace’s decision not to answer?  Did you understand this fear?
12. In 1943 Chinese were granted permission to become American citizens.  Even though Helen’s family was heavily involved in the war effort (Lincoln a dentist in military, Madison and Jefferson made ammunition, mother organized women to cook for soldiers) they did not apply because they did not want to lose “rights to return to the home village” (page 235).  Could you understand this decision?
13. In a review of Lisa See’s new book, The Island of Sea Women, the reviewer wrote that friendship is one of her main themes in her novels.  How was friendship portrayed in this novel?
14. Did you gain any new insights after reading this book?

*****

First Semester Success: 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hardcopy from amazon.com and hardcopy from wordassociation.com.  Click on the upper right link.

The Round House, by Louise Erdrich

Characters
American Indian	White American
Antone Bazil Coutts – “Joe” Antone Bazil Coutts – father, Bazil Geraldine – mother, tribal enrollment specialist Mooshum – grandfather, told stories in his sleep Aunt Clemence – mother’s sister Uncle Edward Virgil Lafournais – friend, “Cappy” Randall – older brother, had vision about Joe Zack Peace – friend Angus Kashpaw – friend Uncle Whitey – owns gas station Sonja – wife, ex-stripper Albert and Betty Wishkop Linda Lark – unofficial adopted daughter Mayla Wolfskin – called Geraldine for help Tanya - baby daughter – Yeltow trying to adopt her George and Aurora Wolfskin – custody of Tanya	Dr. Egge Father Travis – priest from Texas YEC – Youth Encounter Christ Zelia Grace and George Lark – wanted to kill weaker, second twin (Linda) Linden – healthy twin Soren Bjerki – FBI agent assigned to Indian Country Curtis Yeltow – governor of South Dakota, Tanya’s father, wants to adopt

 For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. At the beginning of the novel, Joe writes that he was lucky because he “was a boy doted on by women” (page 25).   Why did he think this was a good thing?
2. When Edward and Bazil were discussing Father Travis and his “questioning sermons”, Edward wondered if “he’s entirely stable, or then again, if he might be simply…intelligent” (page 77).  What did you think of this observation?
3. Regarding Father Travis, what did you think about the incident when the three boys were spying on him because they thought he was a suspect?  He revealed his injuries to the boys and did not tell their parents what they had done.  Was what he did and did not do appropriate?
4. Why do you think Linda donated a kidney to her brother, Linden, after the following: her mother looked for Linda only after Linden needed a kidney, the doctor told her that his kidney failure was his own fault, and Linden told Linda he did not want her kidney because she was so ugly (chapter 6)?  Later on, she told Joe she was sorry she had helped Linden.
5. Father Travis was at Dealey Plaza when JFK was assassinated.  When telling Bazil the story and about how a dog had run into the street, Father Travis reflected that “…how many unknown and similarly inconsequential accidents and bits of happenstance were at this moment occurring or failing to occur…” (page 132).  Were there bits of happenstance in the novel that influenced the story?   Have you experienced an inconsequential happenstance that later proved to be important to your life?
6. How did you understand the American Indian terms throughout the novel?
1. Joe’s doodemag, luck, were cranes and herons (page 134)
2. When someone throws their spirit at you, Mooshum advised, “go to your doodem… find the ajijaak” (page 132)
3. A wiindigoo could cast its spell into another person, eats fellow humans
7. Was it appropriate for Sonja to help Joe put the money he found in the lake in multiple bank accounts?  What should she have done with the money?  Were you surprised she took most of the money?
8. What did you think about Sonja’s birthday present to Mooshum?  Why did she continue on with Joe in the room?
9. What was the point of the story about Akiikwe (Akii) and her son, Nanapush.   Her husband said Akii was inhabited by a wiindigoo and should be killed by Nanapush.  When on the run, Nanapush saved himself by sheltering in a buffalo carcass and following that the buffalo woman spoke to him.  The people built the round house (where attack occurred) in the buffalo’s image (page 215).
10. When Father Travis was explaining to Joe why there was evil in the world (page 253-4), do you think he knew Joe’s ulterior motive for wanting to learn to shoot gophers?
11. Father Travis gave Joe the book Dune, by Frank Herbert.  In this science fiction novel, the main character, a boy, goes on a journey to avenge a plot against his family.   What does this tell you about what Father Travis knew?
12. Bazil used a visual analogy with the moldy casserole to explain to Joe why he did what he did.  In the end he said, “What I am doing now is for the future, though it may seem small, or trivial, or boring to you” (page 230).  Did this help you to understand the plight of the American Indian?
13. Were you surprised that Joe killed Linden in the end and that Cappy came to help?   How much did Joe’s parents know or suspect?

*****
First Semester Success, 2nd Edition, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available as an eBook and hardcopy from Amason.com and hardcopy from wordassociation.com.   Click on the upper right link.