Reading: Understanding Form and Style (Elements of Style) The novel is a series of short reflections which are not in chronological order. Ask students to discuss how this style of writing impacts them as a reader. Analyze how the narrative structure connects to the themes in the novel.

Writing: Reflecting on Skills and Strategies (Interconnected skills) Sharing stories from childhood is an important part of how the reader learns about the protagonist in the novel. Ask students to write a short personal story. Then, have them compare to a passage from the novel. What writing strategies could they use to edit their work and include details and structure like the author?

Oral Communication: Listening to Understand (Understanding Presentation Strategies) The novel was part of the CBC Canada Reads program. Ask students to watch and listen to some of the debates about this novel. Ask students to analyze the effectiveness of the presenter’s strategies and suggest other strategies to use.

Media: Understanding Media Texts (Interpreting Messages) Ask students to analyze the cover for the novel both before they read and after. What do they think are the overt or implied messages?

“Madame Girard was a platinum blonde like Marilyn Monroe, with blue, blue eyes, and Monsieur Girard, a tall, brown-haired man, was the proud owner of a sparkling antique car. They often invited us to their white house with its perfectly mown lawn and flowers lining the entrance and a carpet in every room. They were the personification of our American dream” (Thúy, 71).

“I was the same age as her. No, I don’t have the right to say that I was the same age as her: her age was measured in the number of stars she saw when she was beaten and not in years, months, days (Thúy, 83).