With the sympathizer, available now from grove press, debut author viet thanh nguyen demonstrates his prowess as a writer by creating a narrator who we shouldnt trust but do anyway. The sympathizer audiobook, written by viet thanh nguyen. The sympathizer is a long book that could have been about one hundred and fifty pages shorter. Nguyens narrator, who remains nameless for the novels entirety, starts by saying, i am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces. Sympathizer definition of sympathizer by the free dictionary. A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, the sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose. Check out the video of this event to enjoy a discussion on hooplas fall 2018 book club spotlight title. A novel pulitzer prize for fiction ebook written by viet thanh nguyen. Tom lutz chose the sympathizer for the larb book club in june 2015, long before anything like the pulitzer prize was on the horizon. Viet thanh nguyen wins the pulitzer prize for fiction for. Apr 18, 2016 viet thanh nguyen took the pulitzer prize in fiction monday for his debut novel, the sympathizer, published by grove press. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, paperback barnes.
Viet thanh nguyens debut the sympathizer vividly describes the fall of saigon now ho chi minh city in the opening chapters as the narrator is transported out of the city along with a host of fellow citizens who have served the american cause in some way. Apr 02, 2015 the sympathizer is a long book that could have been about one hundred and fifty pages shorter. Hosting means preparing a treat for club members to eat and conducting the discussion on the months book. Mar 31, 2015 the contemporary relevance of this devastating final section cant be ignored, but the sympathizer is too great a novel to feel bound to our current soulsearching about the morality of. The sympathizer reading group choices book club recommendations. The narrator, a communist double agent, is a man of two minds, whom we meet through a confession that we know to be some time after the fall of saigon. In a nutshell the sympathizer is about a nameless captain in the south vietnam army who is really a double agent and sympathizer of the north.
The novels frenchvietnamese narrator, the captain, is an undercover communist agent. Like the tailor of panama, the sympathizer is a surreal, sometimes farcical spy novel, satirizing or referencing the quiet american or philip roth. Theoretically, the vietnam war ended in 1973 with the signing of the. Take our free the sympathizer quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. The sympathizer viet thanh nguyen, 2015 grove atlantic 384 pp. It is a pageturner with a definitively literary sensibility, a spy novel that doubles as a. His efforts to survive in two worlds at once lead him to make mistakes that end in his capture and torture at the hands of one of the people he most trusts. Maxine hong kingston, author of the fifth book of peace it is a strong, strange and liberating joy to read this book, feeling with each page that a broken world is being knitted back together, once again whole and complete. His efforts to survive in two worlds at once lead him to make mistakes that end in his capture and torture at the hands of. Not only does viet thanh nguyen bring a rare and authentic voice to the body of american literature generated by the vietnam war, he has created a book that transcends history and politics and nationality and speaks to the enduring theme of literature. And in fact, if you do adventurous, challenging reads, you probably have a lot of. Nguyens darkly comic novel offers a point of view about american culture that weve rarely seen oprahs book club suggestions the satire is delicious new yorker the sympathizer reads as part literary historical fiction, part espionage thriller and part satire.
April 30, 2015 marked the fortieth anniversary of the fall of saigon. May 23, 2016 the sympathizer is a novel of literary, historical, and political importance. The sympathizer the winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, as well as seven other awards, the sympathizer is the breakthrough novel of the year. Post by director of suspense molly odintz the murder in the afternoon book club meets to discuss viet thanh nguyens the sympathizer on monday, march 20th, at 1 pm. His novel the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, as well as five other awards. The sympathizer defines the idea of a world citizen. My only complaint, really, is that it is a bit repetitive, perhaps because it assumes no one is going to read the guide all the way through, but rather pick and choose things to read. The sympathizer quiz viet thanh nguyen this study guide consists of approximately 100 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the sympathizer. One suggestion i would make to book clubs taking this on is a little contrary to my usual advice, which is read the book, and then do the research.
Written with an unflinching eye and great humor, it is a brilliant and chilling look into the hearts and minds of men and the cruelty we inflict upon each other. Viet thanh nguyens the sympathizer has left me stunned. Mar 17, 2017 post by director of suspense molly odintz. This study guide consists of approximately 100 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the sympathizer. The june botm discussion will be the pulitzer prize for fiction 2016 winner the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. By turns harrowing, and cut through by shards of unexpected and telling humor, this novel gives us the conflict in vietnam, and. Oct 02, 2016 hosting means preparing a treat for club members to eat and conducting the discussion on the months book. Written with an unyielding eye and also terrific wit, it is a great and also chilling look into the hearts and minds of guys as well as the ruthlessness we cause upon each other. My book club felt that it was one of the best discussions we had had, and im sure that it was because i was able to use this to prepare. Chugging through the story one is nearly derailed but the denouement spectacularly realigns a listeners direction and destination. The book begins during the fall of saigon, moves to refuge camps, to the usa, and eventually back to vietnam. Viet thanh nguyen was born in vietnam and raised in america.
It is a bestselling novel and recipient of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen is simply superb. As graham greene and robert stone have taught us, on the streets of saigon, nothing is as it seems. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to graham greene and saul bellow, the sympathizer is a. The sympathizer is a pulitzer prizewinning novel by viet thanh nguyen about a man who is living among leaders of the south vietnamese army while spying for the viet cong.
The sympathizer we the people book club 2 this we the people book club selection explores the sympathizer grove press by viet thanh nguyen, a novel that is significant for a number of reasons. The sympathizer reading guide the fetzer institute. Top pick for book clubs winner of the pulitzer prize for fiction, viet thanh nguyens the sympathizer is a sophisticated spy novel set at the close of the vietnam war. This confidence is established in the books opening lines. Maxine hong kingston, author of the fifth book of peace it is a strong, strange and liberating joy to read this book, feeling with each page that a broken world is being knitted back. Aug 04, 2016 one suggestion i would make to book clubs taking this on is a little contrary to my usual advice, which is read the book, and then do the research. This way anyone who couldnt be there, can still join in with the fun. Book club kit discussion guide the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen author. Viet thanh nguyen took the pulitzer prize in fiction monday for his debut novel, the sympathizer, published by grove press.
He came to the united states as a refugee in 1975 with his family and. Until now, its been largely a onesided conversationor at least thats how it seems in american popular culturewhere weve heard about the vietnam war mostly from the point of view of american soldiers, american politicians and american journalists. The sympathizer is a stellar debut by a writer of depth and skill. A guide for book clubs the reading room book group notes ebook. The sympathizer is the 2015 debut novel by vietnamese american professor viet thanh nguyen. Can someone with little to no knowledge of the subject this book deals with gets through this book without having to refer to external sources. If you are a club that generally does adventurous and challenging reads, by all means go into the sympathizer blind. Review of the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, plus backstory and other interesting facts about the book. Print word pdf take our free the sympathizer quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test. We try to make our book selections month in advance so that those of us who prefer to not buy the book will have plenty of time to get it from the public library.
The sympathizer, by viet thanh nguyen, is the story of a communist spy who is conflicted about where he stands within his political beliefs and in the world itself. Written with an unflinching eye and great humor, it is a brilliant and chilling look into the hearts and minds of. Viet thanh nguyen tackles vietnam wars aftermath in the. The sympathizer audiobook viet thanh nguyen audible. Its a book of contradictions, such as the lets read a book about having sex with a dead squid. If you like your humor written in charcoal, this is the funniest part of the book, though its occasionally spoiled by zingers that belong on the daily show more than they do in a serious.
The captain, our narrator, is writing the book as a confession. Apr 07, 2015 a closely written novel of after the war vietnam, when all that was solid melted into air. Much of viet thanh nguyens debut novel, the sympathizer grove. The sympathizer ebook by viet thanh nguyen rakuten kobo. The sympathizer, by viet thanh nguyen the new york times. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to graham greene and saul bellow, the sympathizer is a sweeping epic of love.
The winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, as well as seven other awards, the sympathizer is the breakthrough novel of the year. The contemporary relevance of this devastating final section cant be ignored, but the sympathizer is too great a novel to feel bound to our current soulsearching about the morality of. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story. You can find copies of the sympathizer on our shelves and via. Our book selection was the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. Sep 27, 2016 this edition of the book club features the astounding pulitzer prize winning novel, the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, a book club discussion. In the beginning, the sympathizer seems like another version of a war americans would like to forget. By viet thanh nguyen, zoe ruiz, lisa sanchez powers, cathy mcgregor weingeist, brian mcgovney.
He is the author of the sympathizer, which was awarded the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, the andrew carnegie medal for fiction, the center for fiction first novel prize, the edgar award for first novel, the asianpacific american award for literature, and the california book award for first fiction. This edition of the book club features the astounding pulitzer prize winning novel, the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen. This hybrid spynovelcumliterarysatire won the edgar award in 2015. Viet thanh nguyens astonishing novel takes us inside the mind of this double agent, a man whose lofty ideals necessitate his. It is only fitting that the fall of saigon, which observed its 40th anniversary last year see beyond the book, serves not as bookend, but as the opening act for viet thanh nguyens spellbinding debut, the sympathizer. Written with an unyielding eye and also terrific wit, it is a great and also chilling look into the hearts and minds of. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the sympathizer. To feel or express compassion, as for anothers suffering. Book club kit discussion guide the sympathizer by viet thanh. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen is just superb. For someone okay with colleague american english how challenging is this book gonna be.
Everything is horrible and wonderful author stephanie wittels wachs met hoopla book club readers at the pearland library of the brazoria county library system, located in texas. Robert olen butler, pulitzer prizewinning author of a good scent from a strange mountain the sympathizer is a remarkable and brilliant book. Viet thanh nguyen the sympathizer audiobook online. The murder in the afternoon book club meets to discuss viet thanh nguyens the sympathizer on monday, march 20th, at 1 pm. Apr 05, 2015 if you like your humor written in charcoal, this is the funniest part of the book, though its occasionally spoiled by zingers that belong on the daily show more than they do in a serious.
Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. Nelly he has realised that while first meaning independence and freedom are the most important values nothing is more important than independence andmore he has realised that while first meaning independence and freedom are the most important values nothing is more important than independence and freedom that there. Part of the we the people book club, a yearlong program contemplating americas past and possibilities, this guide was created for individual and group use. The sympathizer examines the legacy of the vietnam war through the eyes of one man who has conflicting beliefs and loyalties winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction.
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