Book Club Guide: The Mountains Sing

The Mountains Sing is a beautiful heartbreaking novel that tells the tragic story of Vietnam’s history through a family, specifically a woman and her granddaughter. A LOT happens in this book and there are definitely trigger warnings for anyone with issues around war, starvation, rape, and family death, but it’s a beautiful book with many things to discuss for a book club.

Suggested discussion questions:

1. On page 166, it says “In your schoolbooks, you won’t find anything about the Land Reform not about the internal fighting of the Vietnam Minh. A part of our country’s history has been erased, together with the lives of countless people.” Had you known about either of those occurrences in Vietnam’s history? Were there other parts of its history you learned from this book? Why are history books often different than real life stories?
2. “Wars have the power to turn graceful and cultured people into monsters.” (pg 79) Do you agree or disagree? Did the descriptions in this book change the way you thought about the Vietnam War?
3. There was a lot of sadness in this book, yet there were some uplifting moments, too. Is this a realistic depiction of life?
4. Familial relationships and sacrifice play a large role in this book. What does this tell you about the importance of family in Vietnam?
5. There were many proverbs in this book–did any, in particular, stand out for you?
6. Huong says, on page 161: “I was sure that if people were willing to read each other, and see the light of other cultures, there would be no war on earth.” Do you agree? Or is that a child’s naive look at the world?
7. Have you ever been to Vietnam? What were your experiences?
8. This is the first book QUẾ MAI PHAN NGUYỄN has written in English (Vietnamese is her first language); does that surprise you or were there nuances in her writing?
9. Dieu Lan had to make many difficult decisions in the book; would you have made the same ones?
10. Was there a character you especially sympathized with? One you especially didn’t like?

Other suggestions for your discussion:

• Vietnamese food can be delicious! Order some in or find some fun recipes on-line!
• Pair the book with a movie about Vietnam–Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam, or Full Metal Jacket are some of the many choices about the Vietnam War. The Quiet American is a nice alternative to the war movies.
• QUẾ MAI PHAN NGUYỄN has also written poetry; find some of her poems and compare writing styles, messages, etc.