Livonia Chow Mein Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Community Land Trusts and Housing Affordability and our BookBrowse Review of Livonia Chow Mein.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. While Livonia Chow Mein is rooted in the particularities of one place-Brownsville, Brooklyn-many city neighborhoods across the United States experienced similar waves of change during the 20th century. What are some ways that Brownsville's history, as depicted in the novel, relates to a place you are familiar with? What are some ways that the novel intervenes in typical narratives about the "ghetto"?
2. Discuss Lina's growth in the novel. How is Lina changed by what she experiences in the 1960s-1980s? How does Lina continue to change in the present (2014–2015)?
3. Compare Richard, who immigrates to the United States at the age of eight, to his father Koon Lai and to his wife Foon Wah, who both immigrate at the age of nineteen. How do each of these characters relate to Chinese culture, American culture, and conceptions of race and gender? How do these differences impact the way they relate to each other and to their children?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.