Do you see a change in the respective roles that english and chinese play in the. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points if you have not read the book. Jean kwok was born in hong kong and immigrated to brooklyn as a young girl. He was beaten by the bowibu who accused him of bribery and abuse of position just after hyeonseos 14th birthday. How does the language of the novel evolve as kimberly grows and matures. There is a reading guide available which could help supplement your discussion, but im not sure youd even need one. However, success in america isnt as easily gained as the mother hoped it would be. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Discuss how hyeonseos struggles with identity are connected to her feelings of patriotism.
The film stars emily vancamp, michael nyqvist, david call, michael cristofer, talia balsam and ana mulvoyten. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, girl in translation is an inspiring debut about a young immigrant in america, a smart girl balancing schoolwork and factory labor, custom and desire, a girl who is forced at a young age to take responsibility for her familys future, with decisions she may later regret. Girl in translation is absolutely perfect for book clubs. There is a reading guide available which could help supplement your. Her fathers death is mentioned 14 or of the way through. Jun 02, 2011 buy girl in translation 01 by kwok, jean isbn.
How did chinese values such as the importance of familial obligations, respect for educators that kim and her mother brought with. The good girl by mary kubica book club discussion questions. She worked as an english teacher and dutchenglish translator at leiden university in the netherlands, and now writes fulltime. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or. Or rather, it is ordinary, in the sense of being universal, even though the storys primary setting will strike most readers as exotic and unfamiliar kimberly chang is an 11yearold who has just come to. Well written psychological thrillers are hard to come by, and i couldnt help but notice this one was very well received, so i have been looking forward to reading this one. We hit target today as part of our holiday weekendthe girls had gift cards from christmas burning holes in their pockets and i needed another one of those soheavyyoucanbarelyliftit bottles of detergent. Do you see a change in the respective roles that english and chinese play in the narrative as it progresses. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. In each episode of the book club girl podcast, we chat about great book club books with awesome authorsand our listeners ask the questions. Engage with this comingofage story through an online forum and live, webbased discussion with other readers in your community and around the world.
New york times bestseller girl in translation by jean kwok is a powerful story about a chinese immigrant family in brooklyn. Girl in translation good to a fault handle with care. Cygnet is a comingofage story set in a time of global ecological crisis. When kim was 11 years old, she and her mother moved from hong kong to new york. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from bookperk and other harpercollins services. This week, the golden hour by beatriz williams went on sale everywhere, an. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, an ins. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide. The girl with no past by kathryn croft is a 2015 bookouture publication. Girl in translation kimberly chang is jean kwoks girl in translation. The girl with seven names a north korean defectors story.
The books release seems to have instilled in her a resolve. These book club discussion questions will help your reading group explore the plot, themes, and ideas raised in the novel. The library is happy to share these original questions for your use. Comprehensive study guide, chapter summaries, study questions, and more. As a child growing up in north korea, hyeonseo lee was one of millions trapped by a secretive and brutal totalitarian. It was featured in the new york times, usa today, entertainment weekly, vogue and.
The girl with no name by diney costeloe is a historical fiction and set during world war ii. Based firmly in gods design for their lives, this book helps women rethink what true success and beauty look like. But all they can afford is a verminous, brokenwindowed brooklyn apartment. I read it for my kinshasa book club if not for that i would have stopped halfway. To ask other readers questions about girl in translation, please sign up. It invites them on a liberating journey toward a radically better vision for femininity that ends with the discovery of the kind of hope, purpose, and fulfillment theyve been yearning for. If reproducing, please credit with the following statement. Kimberly is only eleven years old when she and her mother.
Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, girl in translation is an unforgettable and classic american immigrant novela moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation. But girl in translation is no ordinary comingofage novel. Discussion questions for book clubs colleen hoover. This is a moderated forum in which flames and messages outside the forum topic will be removed. The girl before by jp delaney book club discussion. Kimberley chang and her mother move from hong kong to new york. Copy and laminate one book club guide for each set of books and keep it stored with the book club set. They seemed to be lucky in their move, kims aunt was already in america and was able to help them get their green cards, give them housing when the arrived, help them find a more permanent residence, and employ kims mother in the factory she managed. A cip catalogue record of this book is available from the u.
Kimberly chang, the young heroine in jean kwoks debut novel girl in translation, could be described by adjectives like irrepressible, plucky or gifted but all of those would fall just a bit short. Discussion questions for the beach trees lots of knots. Theyre feeling the pressure to hit certain milestonesscoring big promotions, finding a soul mate. Next pick, a quality paperback book club new voices award nominee and the. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on december 11, 2015, by. This study guide consists of approximately 72 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the girl with seven names. A new life awaits them making a new home in a new country. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading girl in translation. Girl in translation is this authors debut novel discussion questions 1. Download and read online for free girl in translation by jean kwok. A very lovely song called i and love and you, written by the avett brothers uses the lyric, one foot in and one foot back, but it dont pay to live like that, so i cut the ties and jumped the track, for never to return. What is it like to be surrounded every day by a language and culture you only half.
Her work has been published in twenty countries and taught in universities, colleges, and high schools across the world. Jun 07, 2010 girl in translation is absolutely perfect for book clubs. The youngest of seven children and a girl at that, i was a dreamy, impractical child who ran wild through the sunlit streets of hong kong. Girl in translation by jean kwok at the best online ebook storage. Book club discussion questions for found by margaret peterson haddix. Girl in translation summary and study guide supersummary. From the author of searching for sylvie lee, the iconic, new york timesbestselling debut novel that introduced an important chineseamerican voice with an inspiring story of an immigrant girl forced to choose between two worlds and two futures. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. She remembers finding a picture of herself as a child, a school. Introducing a fresh, exciting chineseamerican voice, girl in translation is an inspiring debut about a young immigrant in america, a smart girl who, living a double life between school and sweatshop, understands that her familys future is in her hands. Study guide for jean kwok%27s girl in translation spring 2015.
In this gripping debut novel, kimberly tells the story of her struggles as an immigrant. These discussion questions will allow you to guide your high school students through the complex themes they will encounter when reading this novel. The girl with seven names by hyeonseo lee reading guidebook. The new historical novel by beatriz williams, author of the summer wives. July 2010 jennifer taylor fiction girl in translation by jean kwok. This resource is brought to you by insight literacy for more classroom friendly teaching res. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
Innercity art teacher mia dennett is taken hostage by her onenight stand, colin thatcher, who, instead of delivering her to his employers, hides her in. Found by margaret peterson haddix book club discussion guide. He died in hospital and her mother then earned money by selling smuggled foreign goods on the black market. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Diney costeloe has perfectly captured the traumatic atmosphere of the war years both in. But far from just being a mindless thriller, gone girl is a literary pageturner that is smart and witty. If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel. When kimberly chang and her mother emigrate from hong kong to brooklyn squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life. Free comprehensive study guide for girl in translation. The story is interesting, the writing is fantastic, and the characters are very complex all ideal things for a book club discussion. Throughout girl in translation, the author uses creative spelling to show kimberlys mishearing and misunderstanding of english words. Study guide for jean kwok%27s girl in translation spring. Though kim begins the novel as a preteen, we pass through years of the changs life as they struggle with family dramas, prejudice and love. The girl with no past by kathryn croft bibliophile book club.
Kimberly comes to new york from hong kong with her mom when she is 11 years old. Someday, she says as we part, she hopes to see reunification, so the. Gone girl by gillian flynn was one of the big suspense novels of 2012. This 42page guide for girl in translation by jean kwok includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 14 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis.
Set in the cutthroat world of new york publishing, the girl in the book follows alice harvey emily vancamp, the daughter of a powerful book agent, who finds herself trapped in a job as a junior. Girl in translation by jean kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to new york in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the childs father. It invites them on a liberating journey toward a radically better vision for femininity that ends with the discovery of the kind of hope. Discussion questions for slammed by colleen hoover. Discussion questions questions from members thank you. Heres more from jean, whose debut novel girl in translation. Jean kwoks girl in translation is a tender, heart wrenching and exquisitely detailed look at the immigrant experience for two chinese women in the 1980s. Book a table in our restaurant before or after your event. Girl in translation by jean kwok book club discussion. Its no easy trick to age a character 20 years in 300 pages and never once let the narrative voice falter or sound jarring. Girl in translation by jean kwok reading group guide.
Book club girl is a promotional service of harpercollins publishers, 195 broadway, new york, ny 7, providing information about the products of harpercollins and its affiliates. An extraordinary insight into life under one of the worlds most ruthless and secretive dictatorships and the story of one womans terrifying struggle to avoid capturerepatriation and guide her family to freedom. In the prologue, an adult kim chang sees a little girl and her father in a dressmakers shop. In an interview with forbes, she states that married women in. Girl in translation ebook by jean kwok 9781101187487. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, girl in translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an american immigranta moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in translation. Found by margaret peterson haddix book club discussion. Jean received her bachelors degree from harvard and completed an mfa in fiction at columbia. Explain why a north korean defector may later feel compelled to return to his or her home country. Books for an allonline global read of girl in translation by jean kwok.
The girl in the book is a 2015 american drama film written and directed by marya cohn in her directorial debut. It is an epic read and one that tugs at the readers heart. As an added bonus, for every book read, we give books will donate a matching book to a school in need. Jul 15, 2011 jean kwoks girl in translation is a tender, heart wrenching and exquisitely detailed look at the immigrant experience for two chinese women in the 1980s. Written in an indelible voice that dramatizes the tensions of an immigrant girl growing up between two cultures, surrounded by a language and world only half understood, girl in translation is an unforgettable and classic novel of an american immigranta moving tale of hardship and triumph, heartbreak and love, and all that gets lost in.
Jean kwok is the new york times and international bestselling, awardwinning author of searching for sylvie lee, girl in translation and mambo in chinatown. Though kim begins the novel as a preteen, we pass through years of the changs life as they. Girl in translation discussion questions download the discussion questions. Jean kwok is the new york times and international bestselling author of girl in translation. I managed to spend a fair amount of time in the book area which is always so great.
New york times bestseller in the tradition of the girl on the train, the woman in cabin 10, and gone girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one womans seemingly good fortune, and another womans mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception. Jul 01, 2017 girl in translation by jean kwok is a moving novel about a young girl and her mother immigrating to new york in order to achieve a better life after the untimely death of the childs father. From the bestselling author of girl in translation, a novel. Girl in translation by jean kwok reading guidebook club. We are pleased to welcome hyeonseo lee to the frontline club to share her insight into growing up north korea. Although girl in translation is a work of fiction and not a memoir, the world in which it takes place is real. In striving to enrich the lives of all readers, teachingbooks supports the first amendment and celebrates the right to read.