Did you know much about the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 through the end of World War II before reading this book? Or about Korean culture in Japan?Ĩ. How did the book make you think differently about migration, if at all?ħ. Sunja is told early on that “a woman’s life is endless work and suffering… For a woman, the man you marry will determine the quality of your life completely.” How do the women in this book have or not have agency? And how do they struggle to reclaim it?Ħ. How does being in exile and being perceived as foreign affect how Sunja’s family members see themselves?ĥ. What role does shame play in the novel?Ĥ. How does that moment reverberate through the generations?ģ. The inciting incident in the book comes when Sunja, the daughter of a boarding house owner, is seduced by Hansu, the mysterious and wealthy stranger. The book’s first line reads: “History has failed us, but no matter.” Why do you think Min Jin Lee chose to begin the book this way?Ģ. You can also submit your own questions for Min Jin Lee on our Facebook page, which she will answer on the NewsHour broadcast at the end of the month.ġ.

Learn more about the book club here.īelow are questions to help guide your discussions as you read the book over the next month. Our July pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times book club, “Now Read This” is Min Jin Lee’s historical novel “Pachinko.” Become a member of the book club by joining our Facebook group, or by signing up to our newsletter.

Pachinko the book