Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The story is framed by the elderly Moon narrating from 1926, looking back on the traumatic events of 1871. How did this narrative choice affect your reading experience? Did knowing the story was a memory change your expectations?

2. Lisa See based this novel on extensive historical research and her own family’s history, which she detailed in her memoir, On Gold Mountain (1995). How did knowing the story’s roots in the real history of the 1871 Los Angeles Massacre shape your interpretation of the novel? 

3. Which of the three protagonists’ journeys resonated with you the most, and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. The bond between Moon, Petal, and Dove is a mutual “survival pact” built on practical aid and emotional support. Think about a friendship that has been a source of strength in your own life. What did it offer you, and what did you offer in return?

2. After multiple failed escape attempts, Petal finds a new sense of purpose and healing by cultivating her medicinal garden. What hobby, skill, or project grounds you, refreshes you, or gives you hope? How does it help you?

3. What does the concept of a “chosen family” mean to you? In what ways does your own wider family reflect traditional or non-traditional ideas of kinship?

4. Dove is raised to believe that her value lies entirely in her beauty, a belief she gradually unlearns. In what ways have you developed and altered your sense of self over time?

5. Even when she’s imprisoned, Petal finds small ways to reclaim her agency by observing her surroundings, learning, and planning. Think of a time when you felt powerless in a situation. What small, internal, or external actions helped you regain a sense of control?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel acts as a form of “civic memory,” bringing the deliberately forgotten history of the 1871 massacre to light. What other examples of erasure can you compare this to? What can correct the historical and social record?

2. How does the novel critique American ideals, including ideas of justice, equality before the law, emancipation, and the “American dream”?

3. In what ways do the struggles of the characters reflect or differ from the challenges immigrants face today?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The antagonists Headman Sam and Headman Yo are both driven by power, but they have different styles. Which did you find more disturbing? Argue your opinion by drawing on evidence from the text.

2. How does the novel depict physical spaces in the novel? How does this enrich and complicate the reading experience?

3. Think about the theme of The Commodification of Female Beauty. How does Dove’s journey from a prized object to a self-sufficient woman with practical skills challenge the idea that beauty is a source of power for women?

4. Analyze how the novel uses shifts between first-person and third-person perspectives to create dramatic tension and structure.

5. In what ways does See use occasional humor in her novel? What effect does this have on the narrative’s effect and meaning at certain points?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The author serves on the board of the 1871 Memorial Project. If you were commissioned to design a public memorial to the victims of the massacre, what words, images, or symbols from the novel might you use?

2. The story jumps from the trials in 1873 to Moon’s reflection in 1926. Write a scene that takes place in the intervening decades, taking into account the characters’ voices, behaviors, and narrative arcs.

3. Imagine you’re casting a film adaptation of Daughters of the Sun and Moon. Who would you choose to play Moon, Petal, and Dove, and why?