Dust Child

Discuss Dan’s growth as a character. Compare his characterization from the war years to when he returns to Việt Nam in 2016. Also discuss how he changes during his trip in 2016. What events and insights contribute to these changes?

The novel uses multiple perspectives to tell its story. Discuss how this narrative strategy reveals the impact of war on various characters and why each of their perspectives is necessary.

The novel’s title, Dust Child, refers to Phong, and the author begins her dedication in the novel by saying that it is for “Amerasians and their family members.” In what way does Phong’s narrative take precedence over the others in the novel? How do all the narrative threads add to the novel’s aim of bringing the plight of Amerasian children to light?

Discuss how the novel depicts Vietnamese women. How do they navigate their roles within family and society during and after the war? In what ways do socioeconomic conditions during the war make the women especially vulnerable to suffering and trauma?

Examine how this novel centers the experiences of Vietnamese characters. Compare it with another popular novel about the war in Việt Nam and discuss how each of these novels shows the impact of the war on Vietnamese and American characters.

How is this novel in dialogue with the real-life history of the war in Việt Nam? How does it represent that the impacts of the war linger even in 2016?

Examine racist attitudes in the novel held by both Americans and the Vietnamese and discuss how they impact the lives of characters like Trang, Quỳnh, and Phong.

Analyze how the Vietnamese characters’ focus on family motivates their decisions through this novel. Contrast how their attitudes differ from those of American characters like Dan.