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.....