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Henry's Open Mind

Henry's open mind

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Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, write about your final thoughts about the novel. What do you think of the ending? Did you enjoy the story? Did you like the “double narrative”- reading about Henry as a teen, and as an adult?

Week 9- Discussion Question 2- A Confession

We just finished reading "V-J Day" in class. What are your thoughts now that you've learned that it was Henry's father who fixed it so that Henry's letters never made it to Keiko?
What are your reactions to this scene? What are your thoughts about Henry’s father, as well as Henry’s reactions to the learning this piece of information at the same moment his father dies?

Blog Response assigned: Wednesday, April 27
Due: Friday morning, April 29

Week 9- Discussion Question 1- Symbolism

In literature, symbolism refers to an object, character, figure, or color that is used to represent an idea or concept. Examples: the “peace sign” symbolizes peace; wedding rings symbolize commitment; in the novel “The Giver,” the uniforms that everyone wore symbolized conformity; and in the novel, “Tom Sawyer,” the cave that Tom and Becky were lost in symbolizes Tom’s growth into a mature person.
In Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, what do you think the Panama Hotel symbolizes for Henry?

Blog Post assigned: Tuesday, April 26. Due Thursday morning, April 28

Week 8- Discussion Question 2- Disobedient?

At the end of “Angry Home,” Henry decides he will go to China to finish his schooling, but not until the war is over. This is just another example of the choices Henry makes throughout this story. Do you consider Henry to be disobedient? Why or why not?

Reading Assignment: "Angry Home" and "Letters" pages 235-245 Wednesday
Blog Response: Due Thursday night

Week 8- Discussion Question 1- Mr. Okabe

Mr. Okabe is one of my favorite characters in this story. We've already talked at some length about him, and his Cary Grant ways, but I want to know if your thoughts about him grow any stronger, or change at all after you've read the chapter titled, “Waiting.”

Write about everything you know to be true about him. How would you describe him? What kind of person is he? Use examples from the story to support your thoughts.

Reading Assignment: "Waiting" and "Farewell" pages 226-234 Due Tuesday in class.
Blog Response due Tuesday evening

Week 7- What Are Your Thoughts....

We've had some wonderful discussions about this story, both in class and on the blog. At this point I would like to know your thoughts about the story. Is there something that has happened that has shocked you, or upset you, or maybe even made you chuckle? Spill it out here...

Reading Assignement: Read the chapter titled, "Thirteen" pages 208-222. Due Thursday, April 14.

Blog Response: Due Friday morning, April 15

Week 7- Discussion Question 2- Life's Choices

In the beginning of the chapter titled, "Strangers" Henry thinks about his father's belief that "the hardest choices in life aren't between what's right and what's wrong but between what's right and what's best."

Think about the decisions that these characters have made in the story so far. Henry, his father, his mother, Keiko, Mr. Okabe, and Mrs. Beatty have all had to make choices between what is right and what is best.

Decide on three choices made by any of the above characters, and write about whether you believe the choices were made because it was right, or because it was for the best.

Reading: "Moving" and "Stranger", pages 197-207 Due Wednesday, March 13
Blog post: due Thursday, March 14

Week 7- Discussion Question 1- Mrs. Beatty

Even though Mrs. Beatty is considered a "minor" character in this novel, her presence in the story is important. I'm curious to know what you think of her so far. Write about what you know to be true about Mrs. Beatty, and then tell me your thoughts about who she is as a person. Is she likable? Do you think her intentions are pure and selfless? You'll need to think back to when she was first introduced in the story and consider all her actions.


Reading assignment: "Camp Anyway" pages 186-195. Due Tuesday, April 12


Discussion Question: due by Wednesday morning, April 13.

Week 6- Reading Assignment

Read pages 172-178: "Dinner" and "Steps" Assigned: Wednesday, March 30 Due: Thursday, March 31

Week 6- Discussion Question 1- Camp Harmony

In the spring of 1942, just months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, more than 100,000 residents of Japanese ancestry were forcefully evicted by the army from their homes in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Alaska, and sent to nearby temporary assembly centers. From there they were sent by trains to American-style concentration camps at remote inland sites where many people spent the remainder of the war.

One of those relocation centers was Camp Harmony, where thousands of Japanese Americans lived in temporary housing before moving to more permanent camps in Idaho. Camp Harmony is also the site where our fictional family, The Okabes was held. After reading "Visiting Hours," and "Home Again," view the two essay letters below. These letters were written by young Japanese Americans who attended school while stationed within Camp Harmony. What are your thoughts here? Do the emotions and opinions of these young teens match those of Keiko? Please take the time to think through your thoughts before replying.

[Photo, Essays, and Relocation Information courtesy of University of Washington Libraries]

Reading Assignment: pgs 158-171

Reading Assignment: Letter Essays (posted below)

Due: Wednesday, March 30

Essay by Amy Mitamura from Camp Harmony

Essay by Henry Fukuhura from Camp Harmony

Week 6- Reading Assignement

Read the chapter titled, "Camp Harmony." Assigned: Monday, March 28 Due: Tuesday, March 29

Week 5- Reading Assignement- Tuesday

Read the chapters titled, "Parents" and "Better Them Than Us."

Assigned: Tuesday, March 23
Due: Wednesday, March 24

Week 5- Discussion Question 1- A Walk In Her Shoes

In the chapter titled, "Records" Keiko wants nothing more than to buy a record for her friend Henry. Yet, when she attempts to pay for it at Rhodes Department store, the salesclerk refuses to ring up the sale, telling Keiko, "Then why don't you go back to your own neighborhood and buy it?"(pg 114)

After reading this chapter, walk in Keiko's shoes for a minute. How would you feel? How would you truly feel if you found yourself in a similar situation? What are your thoughts? Make sure your response is thorough and well thought out.

Reading Assignment: 103-118
Prompt Assigned: Tuesday, March 22
Prompt due: Tuesday, March 22

Week 5- Reading Assignment- Monday

Read "Hello, Hello" and "Downhill." Pages 91-102

Assigned: Monday, March 21
Due: Tuesday, March 22

Week 4- Discussion Question 2- Like Father, Like Son?

The type of relationship that young Henry will have with his father really begins to form in the chapter, "Home Fires." Write about what happens in this chapter, and the decision that Henry makes when he is asked to translate the conversation between his father and Mr. Preston. Make sure your answers are complete and thorough.

Post assigned: Thursday, March 17
Post due: Thursday, March 17
Reading Assignment: pages 78-90

Week 4- Discussion Question 1- I Am Chinese

One of my favorite lines in this novel comes from Sheldon when he and Henry are talking about the "I Am Chinese" button that Henry's father makes him wear. Sheldon simply shakes his head and says, "I am Chinese. I am Lebanese. I am Pekinese. I am the ever-loving bees' knees" (pg 28).
This statement tells us a lot about Sheldon's character, of his disappointment in the way society groups people based on race and/or ethnicity. Keiko makes a similar statement in "Jamaican Ginger" when, at the end of the chapter, after the Black Elks Club has been raided and she had witnessed people she knows being taken away by the FBI, she turns on Henry:

Keiko halted and looked at Henry. She looked down at his button, the one his father made him wear. "You are Chinese, aren't you, Henry?"
He nodded, not knowing how to answer.
"That's fine. Be who you are," she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "But I'm an American."

Write about what you believe Keiko means when she says these things to Henry. Be thorough in your explanation.

Week 3- Discussion Question 1- Communication

The topic of communication is of great importance in this story, particularly when we really start to compare the young Henry Lee with the adult Henry Lee.
Talking openly with ones parents is often difficult for most teens, even under the best of circumstances, and the young Henry is no different.

Write about what you've come to understand about Henry's challenges in communicating with his parents. Yes, there is definitely a language barrier, but it goes deeper than that. Write about what you know to be true for Henry. What are your thoughts? What are your questions?

And what about Keiko? Her relationship with her parents is different than Henry's relationship with is parents, but Keiko has her own public struggles with communication. What do you understand to be true about her challenges with communication?

Week 2- Discussion Question 1- Henry Lee, Then and Now

It is a rare thing for a reader to have the chance to get to know a character in a novel as both a child and as an adult. I've often wondered what Harry Potter would be like in twenty or thirty years-- how would all the knowledge and power he gained as a young man influence the person he would become? And what about Tom Sawyer? Would he forever be the youthful, carefree child always looking for his next adventure? Mark Twain purposely ended the Adventures of Tom Sawyer with Tom as a young teen-- a story for the young, about the young.


Yet, Jamie Ford has given us a special gift with Henry Lee, the main character he created in his novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Not only do we get to know Henry as a 12 year-old young man, but we have the chance to see what becomes of him as an adult...and this dual narrative allows us to wonder just how much of Henry's adult personality is the product of his childhood.

In the first two chapters we read about Henry as an adult, and then the story flashes back to Henry as a teen. As you read chapters 1-4, pay special attention to what you learn about the adult and young Henry Lee. Post a well thought out comment describing Henry Lee as a child and as an adult. At this point in the reading, are you able to make any connections between young Henry's life, and who he is as an adult? Are there any questions that popped to mind as you were reading?

From Jamie Ford....

To the 7th graders at Perry Middle School:

Hi there, thanks for reading my book. Yes, it’s me, the author. If you love my book—I wrote it. And if you hate my book—well, I still wrote it.

As 7th graders, you are officially on your journey as a reader, which will take you into the pages of countless books, from here through high school, college, and beyond.

With that in mind, let me give you a little advice: Look for Flintstones Chewables.

By this I mean, some books are good for you, but they go down like aspirin without water. Even though they are great stories, classics even, they get stuck in your throat and taste bitter. For me, that book was Of Mice And Men. For you, it might be something else entirely.

Then there are other books which are easy to read, they’re fun, they taste good, but they have no intellectual or nutritional value. They’re like Gummy Bears.

So I encourage you to find the book version of Flinstones Chewable Vitamins. They look interesting, come in fun shapes, they taste good, and are wonderful for you. These are the books that intrigue you, challenge you, but always carry you away to far off places and different worlds, different times. These books entertain, inspire, and leave you a different person.

I hope HOTEL is one of those books. For some it might be on the aspirin side. For others, they’ll chew it up like cotton candy. Either way, keep reading, keep searching, keep trying new books and find what’s right for you.

And yes, I’ll be popping onto this blog now and then, so if you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc…please don’t hesitate.
Jamie

Week One: Prompt 1

Behind the Scenes....

To start off, please view this video, narrated by Jamie Ford. It will provide you with wonderful visuals of Seattle in the time of the novel, and give you a brief history of Seattle's neighboring Japantown and Chinatown. Jamie also talks about The Panama Hotel, which is the site where Jamie conducted some of his research, and the site he used in the opening scene of the first chapter of the novel. Throughout the video, Jamie provides us with glimpses of sites connected with his novel, including Bud's Jazz Records, and Camp Harmony.



After watching the video, please post your initial comments and thoughts. What did you find most interesting? Is there something mentioned in the video that you never knew about before? Do you have any initial questions?

About Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford is the great-grandson of Nevada mining pioneer Min Chung, who emigrated in 1865 from Kaiping, China, to San Francisco, where he adopted the Western name "Ford," thus confusing countless generations. Ford is an award-winning short-story writer, an alumnus of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and a survivor of Orson Scott Card's Literary Boot Camp. Having grown up near Seattle's Chinatown, he now lives in Montana with his wife and children.

Visit him at http://www.jamieford.com/

Getting Started - Posting Requirments

Each week you will find several posts asking you to reply to a general question, or something specific to the novel. You will be required to reply to each post, and if you choose to, you can comment on someone else's reply. One goal of this blog is to provide an interactive experience, to give you a place to exchange thoughts, opinions, and questions about the story. You will also be given the opportunity to ask Jamie Ford any questions you may have about the novel, or his career as a writer.

Please keep the following in mind when you reply to any posts:

1. Use your best spelling, punctuation and grammar skills.

2. Sign each post using your first and last initials, followed by the codename you chose.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Bitter and Sweet book blog project! I first discovered Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, not at the library or book store, but through research I was conducting on literary agents. I had stumbled across the web site of literary agent, Kristin Nelson of The Nelson Literary Agency. Her agency represents over twenty authors of diverse genres, many of whom write YA novels like the New York Times best selling Ally Carter of the Gallagher Girls series.

Within her web site, Ms. Nelson had posted several query letters from authors she now represents. Query letters are what writers send to agents or editors when they are seeking initial representation...they are written in an attempt to pique an agent/editor's interest in the story. Here's what Jamie Ford had to say in his query letter about his pre-published novel:

"It's the story of the Japanese internment in Seattle, seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old Chinese boy, who is sent to an all-white private school, where he falls in love with a 12-year-old Japanese girl.

But it's more complicated than that. It's a bittersweet tale about racism, commitment, and enduring hope-- a noble, romantic journey set in 1942, and later in 1986 when the belongings of 37 Japanese families were found in the basement of a condemned hotel."

After reading Mr. Fords's description of his book, I was hooked. The basis of the story was one I had never read in a book before, and I was intrigued by the conflict set between these two cultures at a set point in our history. My students know that I'm a "cover girl," a great cover is what first draws me to pick a book up off a shelf...and HOTEL's cover art is absolutely beautiful.

It didn't take me long to get drawn into the story, and by the time I was finished I already knew I wanted to share this wonderful novel with my students. Not only is it about friendship and family, but it's a story about cultures, about acceptance, discrimination and determination. This story offers a great opportunity for students to become familiar with events surrounding Japanese internment...something many 7th graders are unfamiliar with. This story also provides the opportunity to take a deep look at 1. characters- how they change, how they evolve, and how the things they do and say influence others 2. setting- how the micro and macro systems of place and time influence a story.

I hope you enjoy your reading journey through Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as much as I did, and I'm looking forward to hearing about your thoughts.....