A guide for book clubs the reading room book group notes get 90 days free of amazon music unlimited with the purchase of any eligible product. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The sympathizer examines the legacy of the vietnam war through the eyes of one man who has conflicting beliefs and loyalties winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction. The sympathizer reading guide the fetzer institute. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. A novel pulitzer prize for fiction kindle edition by nguyen, viet thanh. Here are a few things we discussed during the meeting. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain limited notes and highlighting. The captain spends most of the book in service to communism.
The narrator drives the general to a country club in anaheim where the congressman has invited them. Apr 07, 2015 hes the kind of person, brotherinlaw dave mockingly notes, who has an assigned chore for each day. The sympathizer summary and study guide supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. Maxine hong kingston, author of the fifth book of peace it is a strong, strange and liberating joy to read this book, feeling with each page that a broken world is being knitted back together, once again whole and complete. I wanted to start the summary with books you may enjoy if you did like the sympathizer. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the sympathizer. The sympathizer study guide literature guide litcharts.
May 17, 2016 nguyen and his family fled their village in south vietnam in 1975. Hosting means preparing a treat for club members to eat and conducting the discussion on the months book. This 52page guide for the sympathizer by viet thanh nyguen includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 23 chapters, as well as several more indepth sections of expertwritten literary analysis. The sympathizer, by viet thanh nguyen, is the story of a communist spy who is conflicted about where he. Pulitzer prize, fiction, 2016 a profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, the sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. The sympathizer pulitzer prize winner by viet thanh. Book club kit discussion guide the sympathizer by viet thanh.
But by the end he realizes that communism is a narrow ideology that represses free thought, and that communists are as cruel as he once thought the americans and. If anything, the novel understated the brutality the author shielded the sympathizer from the. The sympathizer pulitzer prize winner by viet thanh nguyen. A comprehensive guide to viet thanh nguyens pulitzer prize winning novel.
The sympathizer summary and study guide supersummary. This 52page guide for the sympathizer by viet thanh nyguen includes detailed chapter summaries and analysis covering 23 chapters, as well as several more indepth. A guide for book clubs study guides for book clubs kathryn cope on. The kit contains spoilers that would ruin the mystery if you havent finished where the. The sympathizer ebook by viet thanh nguyen rakuten kobo. Apr 02, 2015 another update 2nd update ive been reading through my kindle book again the last few days of this book looking over my notes taking new ones. Theyre like having inclass notes for every discussion. Another update 2nd update ive been reading through my kindle book again the last few days of this book looking over my notes taking new ones. Book club kit discussion guide the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen author. A guide for book clubs the reading room book group notes ebook. Thanks to julia davis, practicing democracy fellow, for writing these guides and coordinating the we the people book club program. I usually needed to check out a sentence of paragraph two or three times to get the idea. Nelly he has realised that while first meaning independence and freedom are the most important values nothing is more important than independence andmore he has realised that while first meaning independence and freedom are the most important values nothing is more important than independence and freedom that there. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to graham greene and saul bellow, the sympathizer is a sweeping epic of love and betrayal.
His novel the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, as well as five other. It is a bestselling novel 4 and recipient of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction. Our local book club is meeting to talk about the sympathizer. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. His story is complex from his birth to a young and unmarried mother and an unacknowledged french catholic priest father, to his lifelong friends man and bon, each on different sides of the viet nam conflict. Viet thanh nguyens the sympathizer brilliantly draws you in with the opening line. I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. The awarding of the pulitzer prize for fiction to viet thanh nguyens debut novel the sympathizer may have surprised some. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. The narrator describes himself to the commandant, who has imprisoned him at a detention camp in north vietnam, as a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. The sympathizer is an excellent literary novel, and one that ends, with unsettling presentday resonance, in a refugee boat where opposing ideas about intentions, actions and their consequences take stark and resilient human form. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, a book club discussion guide. Want to see these questions in action, and join a fun monthly online book club no awkward silences, promise. Daves comments are uttered at a hilarious, chaotic family gettogether that demonstrates the origins of micahs persnickety behavior and offers a welcome.
The sympathizer ebook epubpdfprcmobiazw3 download by viet. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. The narrator recalls the fall of saigon on april 30, 1975. Most activity is for books selected by vote for the current month, but you can post about any previous selection anytime. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, zoe ruiz, lisa sanchez powers, cathy mcgregor weingeist, brian mcgovney, bogdan suceava, lance heard, gerald sato, tom lutz march 3, 2017. The sympathizer examines the legacy of the vietnam war through the eyes of one man who has conflicting beliefs and loyalties. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen summary study guide.
Its the sort of book that, when it appeared last fall to rave. On monday, february 6th, the booked for the day book group met to discuss, the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. By turns harrowing, and cut through by shards of unexpected and telling humor, this novel gives us the conflict in vietnam, and. Hes the kind of person, brotherinlaw dave mockingly notes, who has an assigned chore for each day. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, the sympathizer explores a life. A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, the sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with.
The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, a book club discussion. At his villa, a general of the south vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those. I may be biased, but moms book nook is the best online moms book club youll find. The sympathizer is a person who is able to see many sides of a story. April 30, 2015 marked the fortieth anniversary of the fall of saigon. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Chapter 1 the sympathizer begins with a declaration by a nameless narrator. Viet thanh nguyen the sympathizer audiobook online. The june botm discussion will be the pulitzer prize for fiction 2016 winner the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. We meet in a private facebook group and chat about a new book every month. Author viet thanh nguyen discusses the sympathizer and his escape from vietnam fresh air. A guide for book clubs the reading room book group notes. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. Broken for you by stephanie kallos book club discussion.
The sympathizer is a stellar debut by a writer of depth and skill. I took notes as i read and from those notes i had my talking points and was able to formulate some questions of my own. Based on the book by viet thanh nguyen ebook written by worth books. It is only fitting that the fall of saigon, which observed its 40th anniversary last year see beyond the book, serves not as bookend, but as the opening act for viet.
At his villa, a general of the south vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the. A guide for book clubs study guides for book clubs by kathryn cope isbn. We announce the book selection on the first monday of the month and discuss on the last monday of the month at 9. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to graham greene and saul bellow, the sympathizer is a sweeping epic of. Viet thanh nguyens debut the sympathizer vividly describes the fall of saigon now ho chi minh city in the opening chapters as the narrator is transported out of the city along with a host of fellow citizens who have served the american cause in some way. In the beginning, the sympathizer seems like another version of a war americans would like to forget. The sympathizer defines the idea of a world citizen. He came to the united states as a refugee in 1975 with his family and was initially settled in fort indiantown gap, pennsylvania, one of four such camps for vietnamese refugees.
The sympathizer is a novel of literary, historical, and political importance. The orphan masters son by adam johnson and the white tiger by aravind adiga both fiction. The sympathizer is a pulitzer prizewinning novel by viet thanh nguyen about a man who is living among leaders of the south vietnamese army while spying for the viet cong. A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, the sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. The best study guide to the sympathizer on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. Theoretically, the vietnam war ended in 1973 with the signing of the. The sympathizer, by viet thanh nguyen the new york times. With the sympathizer, available now from grove press, debut author viet thanh nguyen demonstrates his prowess as a writer by creating a narrator who we shouldnt trust but do anyway. Viet thanh nguyens pulitzer prizewinning book depicts the secret life of an unnamed vietnamese man, grappling with various identities, whose story begins with the evacuation of saigon, continues with his life living in america after the war, and ends with a shocking twist.
The nook book ebook of the summary and analysis of the sympathizer. The sympathizer audiobook, written by viet thanh nguyen. Apr 05, 2015 the sympathizer, by viet thanh nguyen. Summary and analysis of the sympathizer ebook by worth books. It is a bestselling novel and recipient of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction.
The golfing green is brown and dry and the main building is a cheaplooking steakhouse. Oct 02, 2016 the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, a book club discussion guide this month i was hostess for book club. The narrator is both a captain in the south vietnamese army and a spy for the north vietnamese, acting under the instruction of man, one of his blood brothers. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen overdrive rakuten. His book fills a void in the literature, giving voice to the previously voiceless while. Do not post about other topics until you read the faq. The sympathizer is a blistering exploration of identity and america, a gripping espionage novel, and a powerful story of love and friendship. Viet thanh nguyen the sympathizer audio book download. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Whether you are a member of a reading group or a solitary reader, this clear and concise guide to the sympathizer will greatly enhance your reading.
The winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, as well as seven other awards, the sympathizer is the breakthrough novel of the year. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Download this special book club kit pdf with questions for discussion, an indepth interview with author delia owens, and recipes from kyas cookbook spoiler alert. It is only fitting that the fall of saigon, which observed its 40th anniversary last year see beyond the book, serves not as bookend, but as the opening act for viet thanh nguyens spellbinding debut, the sympathizer. The sympathizer is the 2015 debut novel by vietnamese american professor viet thanh nguyen. Print word pdf take our free the sympathizer quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test. The book club kit is intended for people who have read and finished the book. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read summary and analysis of the sympathizer.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. My book club felt that it was one of the best discussions we had had, and im sure that it was because i was able to use this to prepare. Told in firstperson, the narrator addresses this storyhis confessionto the commandant, who is holding the narrator in a solitary confinement cell somewhere in the commandants camp. This confidence is established in the books opening lines. Nominated by mark, who will provide the author book notes. Without handing out too much of the story, ill tell you that 34 of the way through, the visitor finds why its dense. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Chugging through the story one is nearly derailed but the denouement spectacularly realigns a listeners direction and destination. The sympathizer ebook epubpdfprcmobiazw3 download by.