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How Much of These Hills Is Gold
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How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C Pam Zhang Book Club
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Jeune Ji’s varied careers in nonprofit law, arts administration, and technology took her to Philadelphia, Seattle, and Los Angeles. All along, she has been a writer. Her stories can be found in literary publications like Lunch Ticket and Voyage YA Journal where she is also a reader. She currently lives in the South Bay Area with her husband and son, and a long time ago she earned a degree in English Literature from Swarthmore College. JJ is grateful to CLA for inviting the local community to their wonderful events.
Thank you for the introduction! Here are a few questions to consider before we meet:1) What are conventional notions of the American “Wild West” and how does the book challenge these? How do the lives of these characters reimagine or reset the myths from that era of cultural history?
2) During certain episodes in her life, Lucy feels pressured to assimilate to the dominant culture. What moments in particular stand out, and what are the benefits of her conformity? What does she lose?
3) The natural world plays a significant role alongside the characters. How does it impact the characters both physically and emotionally?
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An electric debut novel set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving landscape—trying not just to survive but to find a home.
Ba dies in the night; Ma is already gone. Newly orphaned children of immigrants, Lucy and Sam are suddenly alone in a land that refutes their existence. Fleeing the threats of their western mining town, they set off to bury their father in the only way that will set them free from their past. Along the way, they encounter giant buffalo bones, tiger paw prints, and the specters of a ravaged landscape as well as family secrets, sibling rivalry, and glimpses of a different kind of future.
Both epic and intimate, blending Chinese symbolism and re-imagined history with fiercely original language and storytelling, How Much of These Hills Is Gold is a haunting adventure story, an unforgettable sibling story, and the announcement of a stunning new voice in literature. On a broad level, it explores race in an expanding country and the question of where immigrants are allowed to belong. But page by page, it’s about the memories that bind and divide families, and the yearning for home.
How Much of These Hills Is Gold Book Club
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Zoom at 4:00-5:00 PM PST
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/88375855010?pw...
Meeting ID: 897 569 5484
Passcode: 569292
In preparation for our meeting, we encourage you to share any thoughts, questions, or comments you have about How Much of These Hills Is Gold below. We can't wait to talk about this book with you!