My Father the Panda Killer Flashcards
Who is the author?
My Father The Panda Killer
Jamie Jo Hoang
Why is Jane angry at the beginning of the book?
She is thinking about her mom again
Whose perspective does the book start in?
Jane
What happened to Jane’s mom?
She left them
Who is Paul?
Jane’s brother
How old was Paul when his mom left him?
Four & starting preschool
What does Jane mention about her parents at the beginning?
She had never heard them fight but they were not in love.
What were some things Jane did not belive growing up?
Fairy tales, princes, or equality
How did Jane describe her family?
Old school like America in the 50s
What year did the book start in?
1999
Who is the head of the household?
Jane’s father
Why was Jane surprised about her mother leaving?
The fact that she actually left
How old was Jane when her mother left?
Fourteen
What feeling does Jane still describe feeling three years later?
Bitterness
Based on Jane’s perspective, what does Paul think happened to his mother?
That she died
What was the first thing that aroused Jane’s suspicion?
When her dad picked her up from school
How did her parents see Jane’s time at school?
As a time period where they could be free from her
How did Jane feel about walking to school?
She was ecstatic about having a walk without her parents, but she also had a sinking gut feeling.
Did Jane know about Paul’s whereabouts after the first week of thier mother leaving?
No she has no idea where Paul stayed
How involved was Jane’s father in her education?
Not at all. He never attended her academic funtions or picked her up from school.
What was Jane’s biggest concern after her mother had left?
That she did not know how long it would take to walk to school
At what time did Jane wake up the next morning for school?
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What did Jane have for breakfast that morning?
Rice and eggs with scallion
What did Jane pack for lunch that day?
A sandwhich with bread, ham, and mayo as well as chips
On her walk to school Jane points out many details, why do you think this was?
To show how much more attention she needed to pay to her surroundngs to not get lost and arrive at school
List some details Jane pointed out during the walk.
Chapman Avenue, CVS Pharmacy, McDonalds, Valentino’s Pizza, Safeway, Del Taco, etc.
What time was it when Jane checked her watch during the walk?
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Who was driving the car that honked at Jane?
Her dad
Why was Jane’s father concerned about her walk?
It was really early and he thought that she was going to run away when he saw her running.
How does Jane feel after finding this out later and why?
She feels insulted because she is not like her mother.
What insults does Jane mention about her mother?
That she is a coward, heartless, and non-motherly.
How does Jane feel about expressing her feelings about her mother?
She swore that she would not let her mother occupy her thoughts. She also wasn’t going to be weak and go to therapy just because her mother left her.
Where did Jane and her father go after he picked her up?
They went to a restaurant named Callahan’s which was American.
Why was Callahan’s an odd restaurant to go to?
Jane never ate American food with an exception of McDonald’s only when her mother couldn’t cook. It was also very fancy and she had never been in such a fancy American restaurant.
What are some details that Jane noted making Callahan’s seem fancy?
Each table having jam, salt, pepper, different kinds of syrup, saltine crackers, and sugar. There was alsodiversity of the menu, the prices, and the amount of booths.
What did Jane’s father order at Callahan’s?
Steak and eggs
What did Jane order at Callahan’s and why?
Pancakes and eggs because she was concerned with the prices and decided to get something less than the price of her dad’s meal ($12.99).
What were Jane’s feelings towards their waitress?
She wanted to punch her face because she felt that the waitress talked down to her and her father. This was provoked by her dad asking for beer.
What did Jane think about the pancakes?
She was enamored by them since they were so big and even forgot why she was there so early (her mother leaving).
What question did Jane ask she regreted and why?
“Is Mom gone?” She regretted this because they never talked about issues in their family.
What other question did Jane want to ask and what did she think about it?
If her mother took Paul. She thought that it made sense since he was the favorite
What did Jane think about her father’s response?
She thought that it was okay and that they were now a team
When does Jane think about that morning a lot?
Whenever she is getting a beating from her father
Why does she remember that morning while getting beat?
Because she thinks about how he waited for her to leave and followed her out of love. She uses this to acknowledge his faults but also the fact that he loves her.
In whose perspective does Chapter 2 start in?
Phúc
Who is Phúc telling the story to?
Paul & Jane
Why does Phúc tell them to sit still?
Every time they shift he loses his concentration and make his storytelling confusing.
What does Phúc say about how long it will take?
It may take a while and to get comfortable.
Who is the story about that Phúc is trying to tell?
Jane and Paul´s dad
Where is their family from?
Ðá Náng, Vietnam. It is a small town in the center of Vietnam.
What did Phúc first wake up to above him?
A white bunched-up mosquito netting that did not protect him from bites well.
Who are Phúc’s sisters?
Linh and Uyên
Who is Linh’s daughter/Phúc’s niece?
Baby Thi
What were his sisters and niece doing when he woke up?
They were sleeping and huddled around Baby Thi
What would Phúc hear on a normal day?
Noises of the city
Why was the day Phúc woke up different?
It was silent
What day did Phúc wake up on?
April 30, 1975
What did Phúc do when school was cancelled?
He would gather sand with Jane’s grandma to rebuild her courtyard
What was Jane’s grandma’s name?
Bá Nôí
How was Bá Nôí described as?
A tall woman, stiff like an evergreen and the steadfast determination of a turtle.
What would Bá Nôí do as the primary care taker of the house?
She would bathe, cook, clean, and fix anything that needed mending
How did the courtyard get destroyed?
By an explosion long ago in the middle of the night.
How was Phúc described?
Slim in stature but with some muscular definition.
Who would carry a heavier load of bamboo sticks?
Bá Nôí
What did Ba Noi tell Phuc to do on the day she was glued to the radio?
To bring back 18 buckets of sand
Why was Phuc rushing to bring back 18 buckets of sand?
He wanted to finish before midafternoon and play
After noticing that something was wrong, why did Phuc go to his hiding place?
He would run because instinct told him it was better than standing still
What was blocking the path up the hill to Phuc’s hiding place?
Abandonded motorbikes scattered everywhere
Why did the path being blocked to Phuc’s hiding place not matter to Phuc?
He knew the route by feel
What made the jungle special?
It was not easy to navigate, and even if part of it was cut, it would grow back.
What biblical reference was made to Phuc sprinting through the foilage?
Moses parting the Red Sea
Why was the plant that covered the hidden passage to Phuc’s hiding place called the shy plant?
When you touch it, its leaves clamp shut in a nonagressive manner.
What was the shy plant compared to?
A startled cat retreating underneath the couch
What does it mean if Phuc was a child of war?
He was born during wartime
What was normalized for Phuc since he was a child of war?
Explosions that caused bodily harm, classmates haviing shrapnel stuck in places, and “raindrops” that would blast through hand and cause amputation.
Who was Phuc’s father?
Ong Noi
