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Night in Shanghai

The forgotten story of black musicians in the Chinese jazz age, and a startling ...

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Discuss Night in Shanghai by Nicole Mones

Have you ever felt a situation in life pivot on a particular, perceptible hinge? What different forms can "the turn" take?

2

Jan. 14, 2015
by lindah

Looking back from today, do you think Chiang Kai-shek was right with his policy of "first internal pacification, then external resistance"? Or do you think Song was right to build her life around opposing this?

3

Jan. 14, 2015
by lindah

Do you ever listen to music to feel connected to another time? To what times and places does music carry you back?

10

Jan. 14, 2015
by ABeman

What makes Song's unusual punishment a "masterstroke"? Through years of such difficult confinement, how does she maintain her freedom?

1

Jan. 14, 2015
by lindah

What living does Thomas have to accomplish before he can finally throw off his fetters at the piano? What makes it possible for him?

3

Jan. 16, 2015
by ruthiea

What does Song witness to cause her to decide "that this was the last time she would feel so impotent against evil"? What difficult and powerful decision does she make in response?

2

Jan. 17, 2015
by mal

How do you see Thomas, Lin, and Song navigating the choice between passivity, resistance and collaboration. What would you have done in their place?

2

Jan. 18, 2015
by mal

Do you think Thomas sacrifices too much in waiting for Song? In the end, who makes the greatest sacrifice, Thomas or Song?

12

Jan. 19, 2015
by christinep

Many people struggle to find a balance between love and self-actualization. Do you think Thomas and Song made the right decisions?

7

Jan. 19, 2015
by christinep

Do you think your hopes and dreams were influenced to some degree by the stories you read and loved when you were young?

4

Jan. 19, 2015
by melindah

What things or activities bring you the serenity of home when you are away?

11

Jan. 19, 2015
by suzie

"Mones relates life to music throughout the novel. Have you ever had a metaphor or discipline through which you viewed all of life, even for a time?

6

Jan. 19, 2015
by juliaa

Do you think Thomas confronting the German was effective? It can be difficult to talk back to someone who expresses prejudice. What would you have said?

5

Jan. 22, 2015
by juliaa

What do you take from the Chinese adage "An inch of time is worth an inch of gold. An inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time."?

11

Jan. 23, 2015
by alices

Does it seem strange that Thomas reached a pinnacle in his creative life not by trying, but by letting go? Have you ever experienced this type of breakthrough?

4

Jan. 26, 2015
by deborahp

In the 1930s, jazz was perhaps the defining music of its era. What do you think has been the defining music of your era? How has that music shaped and enriched your life?

10

Jan. 28, 2015
by juliaa

Mones shares an uncomfortable moment when Thomas is faced with a coolie who wants to pull him in a rickshaw. How would the typical American react then and now? How would you have reacted?

14

Jan. 29, 2015
by Sharlene

Thomas and Song faced danger, took chances, made mistakes, and refashioned their original circumstances into new lives. Do you think both succeeded? And was it worth it?

5

Jan. 30, 2015
by kathleenb

How does improvisation, common to all three characters, also serve to turn the story in directions you did not expect?

4

Feb. 01, 2015
by kimk

What did you learn about Shanghai, it's people, it's history?

11

Mar. 18, 2015
by laurap

Did the novel's fidelity to true events affect your perception of the story? Do you think there is something different about a story based on true events?

17

Mar. 18, 2015
by laurap

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