Book Club Discussion Questions
​ALL WE LEFT BEHIND

​1) Othering is a term used to describe a phenomenon where during times of fear, unrest and rapid change, groups of people have a tendency to define who belongs or does not belong in their community and deems anyone who is different as a threat. Discuss the othering of the Japanese Canadians in the novel and then discuss modern examples of othering designed to divide, exclude or dehumanize certain people based on fear.
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2) Did your opinion of the book change, for the better or worse, as you read it, and what changed your experience?

3) Discuss the concept of privilege in the novel. Who benefitted from the Internment of the Japanese Canadians? What did they gain by removing Japanese Canadians from Canadian society?

4) Discuss the significance of the book being geared toward a young adult audience.

5) Which moment in the book evoked the strongest emotional reaction for you, good or bad, and why?

6) How do you wish the novel were different?

7) If you could hear the story from a different point of view, which character would you choose? Why do you think the author chose Hayden’s perspective?

8) Why do you think the author chose to represent Chidori’s voice in diary and letter form? What is the significance of her voice being missing from the third quarter of the book?

9) What were the pros and cons to a plot structure that alternates between time periods? Is this a writing style that confuses, frustrates, or keeps you reading to find out more?

10) What is your opinion of how the historical information is presented in the novel? What are some of the potential issues when depicting real events in fictionalized ways?