119 pages • 3 hours read
Viet Thanh NguyenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Memory is an important theme in many of the stories in the novel. Compare and contrast the way memories inform the refugee experience of characters in at least three stories. What does this say about the experience of members of a diasporic/exiled community? Finally, consider how Nguyen connects memory with trauma.
Teaching Suggestion: For Nguyen, memory is often coupled with the theme Haunted by Trauma, particularly for those characters who are unable to cope with the loss of loved ones and their life before the war in Vietnam. Additionally, the loss of memory is complicated by Aging and Loss of Agency as many characters struggle to separate the present from the past. In the class discussion, invite students to share examples from their Personal Connection Prompt and make connections to the text now that they have completed the reading.
By Viet Thanh Nguyen
Aging
View Collection
Asian American & Pacific Islander...
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Immigrants & Refugees
View Collection
Sexual Harassment & Violence
View Collection
The Best of "Best Book" Lists
View Collection
Vietnamese Studies
View Collection
Vietnam War
View Collection
War
View Collection