"Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Call Number: FICTION Lee
A new tour de force from the bestselling author of Free Food for Millionaires, for readers of The Kite Runner and Cutting for Stone. PACHINKO follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan. So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity.

*ebook & audiobook on Libby

Discuss the significance of the title, "Pachinko," and its metaphorical representation throughout the novel. How does the game of pachinko serve as a symbol for the characters' lives, filled with uncertainty, chance, and resilience?
Analyze the character of Sunja and her journey throughout the novel. How does she embody the themes of strength, sacrifice, and determination as she navigates the challenges of being a Korean immigrant in Japan?
Explore the theme of identity and belonging in the novel. How do characters like Sunja and her family grapple with their Korean heritage while living in Japan, and how does their sense of identity evolve over time?
Discuss the role of family and community in "Pachinko." How do familial ties and relationships shape the characters' experiences, and how do they find support and belonging within their community, both in Korea and Japan?
Analyze the portrayal of discrimination and prejudice against Koreans in Japan during the 20th century. How does the novel depict the systemic challenges and barriers faced by Korean immigrants, and what impact does it have on their lives and livelihoods?
Consider the theme of resilience in the face of adversity. How do characters like Sunja and her family demonstrate resilience and perseverance in overcoming hardship and discrimination?
Discuss the intergenerational dynamics in the novel. How do the experiences and choices of one generation impact the next, and how do family legacies and histories shape the characters' lives?
Explore the theme of ambition and the pursuit of the American Dream. How do characters like Hansu and Noa navigate their desires for success and upward mobility, and how do their ambitions intersect with their cultural identity and heritage?
Reflect on the role of gender and patriarchy in "Pachinko." How do societal expectations and gender norms influence the characters' experiences and relationships, particularly for female characters like Sunja and Kyunghee?
Consider the significance of storytelling and memory in the novel. How do narratives and oral histories shape the characters' understanding of their past, present, and future, and how does the act of remembering contribute to their sense of identity and belonging?

Min Jin Lee is a Korean-American author known for her novels exploring themes of immigration, identity, family, and culture. She was born in 1968 in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States with her family at the age of seven. They settled in Queens, New York, where Lee grew up.

Lee attended the Bronx High School of Science and later studied history at Yale University, where she graduated with honors. After Yale, she attended law school at Georgetown University but left after one semester to pursue writing.

Her literary career began with short stories published in various literary magazines. In 2007, she published her debut novel, "Free Food for Millionaires," which follows the struggles of a young Korean-American woman navigating family expectations and societal pressures in New York City. The novel received critical acclaim and established Lee as a talented voice in contemporary literature.

However, it was her second novel, "Pachinko," published in 2017, that garnered widespread acclaim and international recognition. "Pachinko" is a multi-generational saga following a Korean family living in Japan from the early 20th century to the late 20th century, exploring themes of identity, discrimination, and resilience. The novel was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction and was named one of the "10 Best Books of 2017" by The New York Times Book Review.

Throughout her career, Min Jin Lee has been praised for her intricate storytelling, rich character development, and nuanced exploration of complex themes. Her work often draws from her own experiences as an immigrant and explores the intersections of culture, history, and identity.

In addition to her novels, Lee has written essays and articles for various publications, including The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Guardian, on topics such as literature, identity, and immigration.

Min Jin Lee continues to write and lecture on topics related to literature, history, and culture. She is a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. Her work has been translated into multiple languages and has earned her numerous awards and honors, solidifying her reputation as one of the most prominent voices in contemporary literature.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Call Number: FICTION Bennett
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing.

*ebook & audiobook on Libby
A House Divided by Pearl S. Buck
Call Number: FICTION BUCK
A House Divided, the third volume of the trilogy that began with The Good Earth and Sons, is a powerful portrayal of China in the midst of revolution. Wang Yuan is caught between the opposing ideas of different generations. After 6 years abroad, Yuan returns to China in the middle of a peasant uprising. His cousin is a captain in the revolutionary army, his sister has scandalized the family by her premarital pregnancy, and his warlord father continues to cling to his traditional ideals. It is through Yuan's efforts that a kind of peace is restored to the family.
Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe
Call Number: FICTION Donohoe
A debut novel about the passionate loves and tragic losses of six generations of women in a family of firefighters, spanning from famine-era Ireland to Brooklyn a decade after 9/11 "There isn't anything in the world that hurts like a burn." No one knows the pain of a fire more than the women of the Keegan/O'Reilly clan. Kathleen Donohoe's stunning debut novel brings to life seven unsentimental, wry, and evocative portraits of women from a family of firefighters. When we meet Norah -- the first member of her family to move from Ireland to New York -- she is a mother of three, contemplating her husband's casket as his men give him a full fireman's funeral, and faced with a terrible choice. Norah's mother-in-law, Delia, is stoic and self-preserving. Her early losses have made her keep her children close and her secrets closer. Eileen, Delia's daughter, adopted from Ireland and tough-as-nails, yet desperate for a sense of belonging, is one of the first women firefighters in New York. It is through her eyes that we experience 9/11, blindsided by the events of that terrible day along with her. Poignant, wise, and immersive, Ashes of Fiery Weather is a tour de force in the tradition of Let the Great World Spin, one that explores the emotional wounds and ultimate resilience of those drawn to fire, as well as the many ways we search for each other, and the many ways we hope to be rescued.
The Kinship of Secrets by Eugenia Kim
Call Number: FICTION Kim
From the author of The Calligrapher's Daughter comes the riveting story of two sisters, one raised in the United States, the other in South Korea, and the family that bound them together even as the Korean War kept them apart.
The Empire of the Senses by Alexis Landau
Call Number: FICTION LANDAU
The sweeping story of the Perlmutter family opens with the moment when Lev, the assimilated, cultured German Jewish father at the center of this saga, enlists to fight in World War I, leaving behind his beautiful gentile wife Josephine and their children Franz and Vicki. Moving between Lev's and Josephine's viewpoints, Part I focuses on Lev's life-changing experiences on the Eastern Front, where he becomes involved with a local Jewish woman in the poor village where he is stationed. It is the kind of love which renders the privileged life at home, when he returns, a pale aftermath by comparison with the depths of sensuality which he experienced during the war. Part II, which takes place in 1927-1928, picks up in Berlin when the Perlmutter children are young adults grappling with their own set of questions - Franz is drawn into the charismatic brown shirt movement, and is struggling with his unexpressed homosexuality; Vicki is drawn to the arts, jazz, the everything new; this wonderfully fetching character bobs her hair and falls in love with a young man who wants to take her to Palestine. Unlike most historical novels of this kind, The Empire of the Senses is not about the Holocaust but rather about the brew that leads to it; we see how the Perlmutters are pulled in different directions by the poles of their identities in this complex period (is Lev German or Jewish? What about his children?); and how such a catastrophe was unimaginable to ordinary people like Lev and his wife. Plotted with meticulous precision and populated by characters who feel and dream to the fullest, Empire carries us far from where it begins as the tides of cultural loss and ethnic hatred coexist, as they must, with those of love, passion, and the power of the human spirit.
The Mountains Sing by Que Mai Phan Nguyen
Call Number: READNEXT FICTION Nguyen
The multigenerational tale of the Trà̂n family, set against the backdrop of the Việt Nam War. Trà̂n Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that will tear not just her beloved country but her family apart.

*ebook & audiobook on Libby
*ebook & audiobook on hoopla

Islington Branch Book Club - Past Titles: "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee

"Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee

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