Discussion Guide

Bridge Across the Sky

By Freeman Ng

About the Book

Soo Tai Go, his father, and his grandfather have made the long voyage from China to America, where they are first sent to the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay. Held there indefinitely, they and other detained Chinese immigrants work to memorize their “paper stories,” the intensely detailed—and false—personal histories connecting them to supposed relatives currently residing in the States. Tai Go, already angry at having been brought along with his father and grandfather to America, finds that the conditions at Angel Island are nearly as bad as prison. Yet Tai Go also discovers moments of beauty and strength, especially in the poems written on the walls of the barracks by previous detainees. Pulled between various forces that exist within the detainee community, ultimately Tai Go finds hope and drive to see beyond prejudices, to give the oppressed a fighting chance at the true power in this new country. Through verse, Freeman Ng gives readers a glimpse of forgotten history through the lens of one boy, reimagining the harsh conditions many Chinese endured to immigrate to the US. Throughout the novel, readers feel the juxtaposition of hope, anger, and trauma that Tai Go and many immigrants before him experienced.

Discussion Questions

1. Consider the title of the novel. How does the title Bridge Across the Sky signify the journey that Tai Go and his family will take and endure? Discuss the differing expectations Tai Go, his father, and his grandfather have about their future in America. What are each family member’s hopes at the end of the “bridge” and why might these desires exist for the characters in the story? What elements of personal growth and self-discovery do they make while on their journey?

2. What is the significance of the topic Freeman Ng has chosen to write about? Why does this matter?

3. What is the reality that Tai Go is faced with while in detention? What aspects of world and American history has he now become a part of, whether he realizes it or not? What are some of the conditions he is now subject to?

4. Early in the novel, Tai Go shares his observations and makes a distinction between colors of faces. What is the distinction he makes? What phrases does he use to describe those who take away his power? What is the delineation of power among the colors that is described?

5. There are many characters who exert power in this novel. Who are the “pale powers” in the story? What actions by the pale powers make Tai Go and his family feel small and threatened? What do the pale powers say no about that disheartens Tai Go and the others in detention? How do they behave and treat others? How do they use their power, and what tactics do they use?

6. What is the “paper story” that Tai Go often refers to? What importance does it have to Tai Go and his family? How does this paper story compare to his real story? Where in the novel does his paper story work to his advantage and where does it work to his disadvantage?

7. Tai Go discovers poetry etched into the walls of the Immigration Station. What kinds of words and themes do the poems express? What do they signify to him and to the others in the detention center? What is the “poetry of the poems” that Tai Go is struck by? (p.153) What do many of the predecessors say through these poems that give Tai Go hope, longing, despair, and encouragement?

8. Who are Tai Go’s connections at the detention center? What other characters hold alliances with one another throughout the novel? What do these connections mean to the individuals and what importance do they carry throughout the story? How do the connections evolve throughout the book? What conflicts arise between friends, family members, and/or alliances? Give an example of a connection, and how it may have been different at the beginning of the book than it is at the end.

9. Consider the Island’s population of detainees and workers. What are the various power relationships present throughout the novel? How do the parties subject to the power of others react to their submissions? How do those responses evolve throughout the novel?

10. What are the “interminable lessons” Tai Go has learned from his mother, who is not with him on his journey, thus not present in the detention center? (p. 52) What does he credit his mom for teaching him? What hopes does his mom have for him and how are they instilled in him? How does he show evidence of his mom’s influence?

11. What crime does Tai Go get punished for committing? What is his punishment? Irony is defined as a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects. (Oxford Reference) What is the irony in Tai Go’s crime and the actions he carries out while in punishment?

12. How are non-Chinese people perceived by Tai Go and his family? What has Tai Go’s experience been with non-Chinese people before entering the detention center? What stereotypes or prejudices does he have?

13. Yukiko catches Tai Go’s eye and curiosity, despite the fact that she is not fully Chinese. How does he refer to her throughout the book? How does he make sense of her identity based on his very limited experience with people who aren’t Chinese? What are his main modes of communication with this girl he admires?

14. What does the phrase “Black ghost” mean to Tai Go when he hears it muttered among the other detainees? To whom are they referring? What does this person symbolize in the novel?

15. What does it mean to resist in Freeman’s Ng’s novel? What is the Resistance and the revolt that they carry out? What is the Association, and what is their approach to dealing with the powers that govern the station? What are Tai Go’s relationships to the Resistance, the Assocation, and Yen Yi? How do his relationships change over the course of the novel?

16. What is the perennial advice that his grandfather has for Tai Go? How does this advice pertain to his present and his future? What lessons does Tai Go learn from Grandfather that he will always carry with him? What instructions is he given to go forth with in his life?

17. What do Tai Go’s mother and Yukiko’s mother have in common in regard to education and learning? How are these valued traits manifested in both Tai Go and Yukiko?

18. What do readers learn about Tai Go’s sister, Kow Loon? How are Tai Go’s memories of his sister back in China used to reflect his feelings about his home and the past, the present, and the possibility of his future in a new country?

19. Throughout the novel, the term “jabbing the awl” comes up frequently. (pp. 70, 152, 339, 348) What does “jabbing the awl” mean? Why does Tai Go’s father insist on giving him (and anyone who will listen) this advice? What does “jabbing the awl” mean to Tai Go, and how does it differ from his father’s interpretation of it?

20. Tai Go’s grandfather often calls him to play Go, a strategy game in which players use black or white stones to capture more board space than their opponents. His grandfather wants to review their games and discuss the strategies and patience needed to see the game as whole, but Tai Go is easily frustrated by his losses. What does Tai Go eventually learn from Go and his grandfather, and how do the game’s rules and strategies apply to what’s going on among the opposing groups in the station?

21. How does the paper story, which is so thoroughly studied, betray Tai Go and his family? What is the result of his father’s and grandfather’s paper stories not matching after yet another interrogation? What will become of Tai Go and the three generations of men in his family who have together endured months of detention and interrogation?

Extension Activities

1. Penning a Letter. Tai Go writes to Yukiko and endures great risks to have the letters delivered to her. Write a letter to one of the other characters in the novel that you wish to speak to. What would you say? What would you want them to know? What further questions might you ask? What might you share to encourage their journey and give them hope?

2. Oral History. Interview a family member, neighbor, or teacher who has an immigration story from their family history. Create a list of open-ended questions to ask. Some questions can prompt them to share their thoughts about their homeland, reasons for immigration, difficulties in carrying out their decision, as well as hardships endured. Some questions might include:

a. Why were you driven to immigrate to the US? What is your journey’s story?

b. Who were your connections after leaving your homeland? Who were your friends and allies you were able to rely upon as you moved?

c. Much like the poetry on the wall gave Tai Go hope, what gave you hope to carry on when you struggled?

d. How did you define the word foreigner before immigrating? Describe your first encounter with foreigners outside your homeland.

3. Writing in Verse. Throughout the novel, many of the poems carved into the walls give Tai Go pause, hope, and sadness. Analyze the wall poems that Tai Go reads. Write a poem that you would want to inscribe on a wall. What is your message? What expressions would you use? What is the lasting verse you hope to write?

4. Historical Dive. At the end of the book, the author includes historical resources that allowed him to write his novel successfully. Pick one of the resources Freeman Ng includes, or locate another resource through the library, that helps you better understand the climate of the United States at this time in history in relation to Asian Americans. Consider the following questions:

a. Why did the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act exist?

b. What events led to this becoming a law?

c. What were the discriminatory acts many Chinese faced at this time and still endure to this day?

d. When did the Exclusion Act end?

e. How long did the detainees at Angel Island endure such harsh treatment and interrogation?

5. Host a Book Club. Find a few friends who would like to read Freeman Ng’s Bridge Across the Sky. Discuss some of the questions outlined above and perhaps try an extension activity or two together. There is no better way to understand a text than while discovering it in the presence of peers. Listen to others’ perspectives and thoughts about the characters and events. What are some other questions readers have about the book? What are the points of view that align and what are your differences of opinion? What are the interpretations of the events in Bridge Across the Sky?

Note: Page numbers refer to the hardcover edition of this title.

Discussion Guide prepared by Esther H. Ra, Ed.D., CCMC, CELDC, a Lecturer in Communications and an Associate Director of Career Services at the University of Pennsylvania. Her expertise includes communications, literacy, education, writing, and Asian American identities. Prior to receiving her doctorate in education, she served as a teacher, educator, literacy specialist, and lead classroom teacher.

This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.