Irmo Branch Library - Multimedia Book Club discussion

Hi there,
Now that we're mid-month, you may have had a chance to get started with "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson. I have a few general questions to kick off our discussion, but let's keep the answers limited to the early parts of the book (no further than halfway through, please) so we don't spoil any of the plot points for each other!

1) What do you think of the novel so far? Do you find yourself connecting more with the murder mystery, the love story, or the historical elements? Have you seen or heard of the 1999 film adaptation before?

2) When was the first time you were taught about the internment camps for Japanese Americans on U.S. soil during World War II? What were your impressions of this time in history going into the book?

3) This book has been challenged/banned as reading for high school students in certain school districts. From your perspective so far, do you think such a challenge is warranted or not? When do you think the content of this book would be suitable for a younger reader (at what age, in what context, for example)?

For reference, here are a few links that may be informative for the discussion questions above!

Why "Snow Falling on Cedars" is a challenged book:
https://world.edu/banned-books-awaren...

More about the Japanese-American internment camps:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/5...

Including this from George Takei on NPR:
https://www.npr.org/2019/07/17/742558...

Hello Multimedia Book Club!

1) At first, I was a bit slow to get into the novel, but once I read a bit more, I have found the murder mystery aspect very interesting. I am usually a big fan of romance, so that is always a draw for me in a novel; but to have this "whodunnit" spin on a tale is quite thrilling. I am also a history lover, so this novel is continuing to pique my interesting as a diver further into the tale. Before this reading recommendation, I was not familiar with "Snow Falling on Cedars" as a film or novel, so I am enjoying trying a genre that is different from what I would normally read.

2) I was introduced to World War II and the Japanese internment camps when I was in middle school and early high school. This is always such a difficult and heartbreaking subject, but a much needed conversation in history. Going into this novel, I already had my thoughts on injustices and the pain of those placed in internment camps and how certain aspects of history have reappeared in modern times. I was interested in the perspective that would come from the author of this novel.

3) When diving into banned books, the first question to ask is, "Why is this book a threat?" What is it about this written piece that is so powerful that others feel the need to hinder it from getting into the hands of the public? Is it offering dangerous rhetoric that history has shown can lead to undesirable consequences? Is it exposing the wrongs of a system that may be rigged against its citizens? Is there a level of guilt due to a truth that is being exposed? Banned books can challenge a common line of thinking and offer those who read it the choice to decide if they still believe in the values and ideals they once held, or could a shift in mentality be in order? I think banned books or previously banned books should be read by age groups that typically can begin comprehending or fully comprehend the situations discussed in the book enough to form their own opinions and ideas about the issues expressed. Usually late middle school and early high school age is best for tougher and more complex subjects, such as some of the content in this book. If the subject is a bit more black and white, late elementary to early middle school could probably handle banned novels.

I'm going to add my comments now, before adding more questions for the end of the month!

1) I agree that the novel is slow-going at first. The writing is lovely but sometimes I was a little bit aware of Guterson's thesaurus and also his impressive! knowledge! of! fishing boats!! I got into it more as the story progressed and I got used to his style, with all the slow, reflective passages of weather and nature scenes. Sometimes it was pretty cozy! That said, the murder mystery plot definitely hooked me. I expected to be more compelled by the love story, which had been a big part of the marketing for the film back in 1999, if I remember right; but I actually found the scenes of World War II and the internment camps the most interesting.

2) Somehow I did not learn about the internment camps for Japanese-Americans until a college English class. It must have been in our high school curriculum at least, but I remember that we ended up falling behind and had to speed through most of the 1900s in my history class that year. It reminds me that even with a good curriculum and well-meaning teachers, sometimes important information like this can get glossed over. It makes me appreciate that literature like this exists, which can highlight history and make it real to people who might connect better with a narrative story than with their history book. I feel that this book has given me a broader understanding of how disruptive and life-altering the relocation was for so many people.

3) Kyland has some really great thoughts/questions we should ask when diving into a banned book. I'm generally against censorship of any kind in literature, but I know that some books in history have been challenged for good reason; it may be best to read the book with the larger discussion in mind, to be primed to think about the text critically. I think readers should always be thinking critically when reading, banned book or not. In the case of "Snow Falling on Cedars," I believe much of the challenge is because of the sexual content of the book, perhaps some of the violence of the war scenes. I'm torn because I think as a young teen, some of the images would have been too graphic for me to handle, but I can also see how reading this book in high school would have been my first introduction to the internment camps in the US and the classroom may have been a good place to talk about this and process the more difficult imagery of the war. I don't think a book with such important content should be banned altogether from being available to young readers, because some students would have the maturity to handle the sensitive material appropriately.