33 pages • 1 hour read
Lac SuI Love Yous are For White People
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
In what ways does Su’s memoir turn the notion of the model minority on its head?
What cultural scripts related to patriarchy and Confucian values perpetuate domestic violence in the Su household? How do poverty and traumatic displacement fit into this narrative?
Discuss Pa’s gendered use of language. How do his views of masculinity and femininity color his interactions with his wife and children?
In what ways does Su’s memoir uphold and negate stereotypes about Asian men?
Discuss Su’s life experiences in relation to the notion of the American Dream.
Why is gang life particularly appealing to immigrant youths? How might communities better respond to the lure of gangs for this specific demographic?
How does Su present and develop the theme of lost innocence?
Address generational conflict, cultural clash, and racial prejudice in Su’s memoir.
How do the interrelated issues of alienation and loneliness manifest themselves in Su’s writing?
Discuss Pa in relation to the notion of tiger parenting popularized by Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (2011).
