"The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen by C V

USO OVBC: 2024 Book Picks

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USO Indo-Pacific and USO Europe | Middle East | Africa will host our monthly Overseas Virtual Book Club discussing "The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen on May 9th at 2000 JST on Zoom

Stay up to date with the Overseas Virtual Book Club by joining our Facebook Group: USO Overseas Virtual Book Club

Register here:

hhttps://register.uso.org/4111BMB7/4a3I8XJUXT

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Introductions

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Book Recs

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1. Discuss the relevance of the title, The Sympathizer. Who do you think the author wants the reader to sympathize with? What are the different ways throughout the book that the author demonstrates sympathetic characters and situations?

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2. Guilt is a theme throughout the novel. What is the role of guilt in the lives of the characters? Does it compel them to try and right past wrongs, or make them more culpable? Or both?

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3. “Movies were America’s way of softening up the rest of the world.” Do you agree or disagree with this assessment? Provide examples of movies you have seen that accomplish this.

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4. On page 274, Ms. Mori declares “you must claim America” what does she mean by this? Do you agree or disagree with her? Do you think this is how refugees and immigrants feel once they come to America? Explain your answers.

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5. On page 15, the narrator says about Man and Bon: “These men were better than any real brothers I could have had, for we had chosen each other.” Discuss the role family plays in the lives of the different characters in the novel.

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6. At the end of the novel, the narrator “graduates” and is finally allowed to meet the commissar. How does the narrator react when he learns who that is? What was your reaction to the reveal?

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7. After everything that the narrator has been through his last words are a passionate celebration of life “We will live!” Why do you think the author chose to end the novel on such an optimistic note? Were you surprised by the ending? What are your thoughts about what is happening in the last chapter?

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1. How does the series compare to the novel? What are some similarities and what are some differences?

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2. What do you think of the actors and their portrayals of the characters? Who is your favorite and least favorite character in the series?

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3. Episode one opens with this context: "In America it is called the Vietnam War. In Vietnam it is called the American War. It was a bloody war between the North, led by the communists who defeated Vietnam's long-time French colonizers; and the South, backed by the Americans who took over from the French. All wars are fought twice. The First time on the battlefield, the second time in memory." What are your thoughts on this statement?

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4. What did you know about this period in history prior to viewing the series/reading the novel? Has your perspective changed in any way?

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5. "Homeland" describes a person's native land. For the Captain he is said to have two homelands, Vietnam and America. What is your homeland? Can you/do you have more than one?

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6. Throughout the series, The Captain experiences several conflicts because he is biracial, bilingual, and a child born out of wedlock. How have these issues changed or stayed the same since the 1970s?

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7. Do you think the series will end the same as the novel? What do you hope is revealed in the series that is not discussed in the novel?

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kcjeanwilliams — 2024-05-08 06:20:53 UTC

"Remember, you're not half of anything, you're twice of everything"

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