Book Club Discussion Questions
Questions about Magic.:
1. Do you have cat friends in your life?
2.Who do you live with? Are your friends’ families like yours, or different?
3. Do you think Magic is a real, regular cat, or is he a magical cat?
4. Would you like a magical cat friend?
5. If you had a magical cat friend, what would you do with him?
2. In “Yuan Zu Socializing,” why does the protagonist call her actions a form of revenge?
3. Discuss Brian’s rejection of Sonnie in “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
4. What might wearing a bra symbolize to Lily in “Underwear”?
5. Is the narrator in “Betel Nut Beauty” reliable? Why do you think she withholds information from the reader for most of the story?
6. How do Chinese beliefs around a “red suicide” inform your interpretation of how “Writing on the Basement Wall” ends?
7. In “Simple as That,” how do gender and culture inform Jolie and Mike’s relationship?
8. Consider the conflicting roles of the narrator in “Immersion”: graduate student v. “PR girl”. How are they compatible or incompatible?
9. In “Passport Baby,” why do you think Lin Lin stole the baby? Was this foreshadowed in the story?
10. If you were Serena in “Mine,” would you accept Jenna Lee’s offer? Why or why not?
Additional questions about Sex & Taipei City:
Questions about Magic. in Chinese:
1. 你有貓貓朋友嗎?
2.你家裡有誰跟你一起住?你朋友們的家庭跟你一樣, 還是不一樣 ?
3. 你覺得奇奇是普通的貓貓還是神奇的貓貓?
4. 你想要神奇的貓貓朋友嗎?
5. 如果你有神奇的貓貓朋友,你會跟他玩什麼?
Questions about Sex & Taipei City:
2. In “Yuan Zu Socializing,” why does the protagonist call her actions a form of revenge?
3. Discuss Brian’s rejection of Sonnie in “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.”
4. What might wearing a bra symbolize to Lily in “Underwear”?
5. Is the narrator in “Betel Nut Beauty” reliable? Why do you think she withholds information from the reader for most of the story?
6. How do Chinese beliefs around a “red suicide” inform your interpretation of how “Writing on the Basement Wall” ends?
7. In “Simple as That,” how do gender and culture inform Jolie and Mike’s relationship?
8. Consider the conflicting roles of the narrator in “Immersion”: graduate student v. “PR girl”. How are they compatible or incompatible?
9. In “Passport Baby,” why do you think Lin Lin stole the baby? Was this foreshadowed in the story?
10. If you were Serena in “Mine,” would you accept Jenna Lee’s offer? Why or why not?
Additional questions about Sex & Taipei City:
1. What did you know about Taiwan before you read this book? How does this book compare to or affect your perception of Taiwanese culture and people?
2. What surprised you in these stories? Why?
3. Which story did you like the best, and why?
4. Which story did you like the least, and why?
5. Are these characters uniquely foreign or Taiwanese? Could any of these stories happened in the country and culture you currently live in?
6. These stories are set in the 1990s-early 2000s. Do they feel dated in any way? How so?
7. Describe the gender dynamics in any stories of your choice. Do you feel gender and socialization greatly influence the fates of these characters? How so?
8. Did you read about any food in this book that you would like to try some day?
2. What surprised you in these stories? Why?
3. Which story did you like the best, and why?
4. Which story did you like the least, and why?
5. Are these characters uniquely foreign or Taiwanese? Could any of these stories happened in the country and culture you currently live in?
6. These stories are set in the 1990s-early 2000s. Do they feel dated in any way? How so?
7. Describe the gender dynamics in any stories of your choice. Do you feel gender and socialization greatly influence the fates of these characters? How so?
8. Did you read about any food in this book that you would like to try some day?
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