1. Find out more about the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.

How accurate is DeJong's portrayal of conditions in China during this time?

How important is this particular setting to the novel? Could it take place in another country?

2. When Tien Pao first sees an American, he thinks he is seeing a river god. Write about the attitudes the Chinese people in the novel have towards Americans. What roles do the American servicemen play in their lives?

3. Meindert DeJong often writes about long arduous journeys and the challenges these journeys present. What are the challenges that Tien Pao faces? How does he overcome these challenges?

How are these challenges similar to those found in your everyday life? How do you overcome them?

4. The House of Sixty Fathers was not published until fifteen years after it was written because...