Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Chapters 1-7

Reading Check

1. The Panama Hotel (Chapter 1)

2. Chemistry (Chapter 2)

3. Study in Canton (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. In 1942, due to the political situation since the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there is a great deal of anti-Japanese sentiment. The button clarifies that Henry is Chinese, not Japanese. (Chapter 3)

2. It is evidence of Keiko’s embracing her Americanness and also shows her disconnection from Japanese culture. Though she is taunted and berated for being Japanese, she is just as American as her fellow classmates. (Chapter 7)

Chapters 8-12

Reading Check

1. Oscar Holden (Chapter 8)

2. On a weekly basis (Chapter 10)

3. They aren’t African American and they’re too young. (Chapter 11)

4. Oscar Holden (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. She wished that somehow her passing would bring Henry and Marty closer together. (Chapter 9)

Chapters 13-16

Reading Check

1. Palmyra Pettison (Chapter 13)

2. A shaving kit and neckties (Chapter 14)

3. Vashon and Bainbridge Islands (Chapter 15)

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. The residents of Nihonmachi are burning anything that identifies them as Japanese in huge garbage bins. They burn kimonos, letters from Japan, and old family photos, among other things. (Chapter 16)

Chapters 17-22

Reading Check

1. Hokubein Jiji (Chapter 17)

2. A plum tree (Chapter 19)

3. Building development (Chapter 20)

Short Answer

1. Henry decided to keep Ethel at home during her last days. Marty thought that she should be in a hospice house. (Chapter 18)

Chapters 23-27

Reading Check

1. Rhodes Department Store (Chapter 24)

2. A jazz concert (Chapter 25)

3. Chaz Preston (Chapter 26)

Short Answer

1. Henry explains that Chinese Americans like his father faced discrimination as a result of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. Many Chinese Americans were displaced in their jobs by workers of Japanese descent. (Chapter 23)

Chapters 28-32

Reading Check

1. A 12-year-old Henry (Chapter 28)

2. No (Chapter 29)

3. Food service assistant (Chapter 30)

Short Answer

1. She siphons off supplies from the school and trades them in exchange for cigarettes. (Chapter 31)

Chapters 33-39

Reading Check

1. Dragon’s beard candy (Chapter 33)

2. In a massive sack of rice (Chapter 36)

3. Henry’s mother intercepts the letters and stores them under Henry’s pillow. (Chapter 37)

4. “Stranger” (Chapter 38)

Short Answer

1. Marty is trying to quit smoking cigarettes. He feels guilty about smoking because Ethel, his mother, passed away from lung cancer. (Chapter 34)

Chapters 40-47

Reading Check

1. The same Oscar Holden record Sheldon gave him 40 years ago (Chapter 40)

2. A ticket for a boat to China (Chapter 43)

3. The Panama Hotel (Chapter 45)

4. Starfire lilies (Chapter 46)

Short Answer

1. Mr. Okabe is considering pledging loyalty to the United States to keep him and his family safe, and also to get out of Camp Minidoka. The downside of doing so is that he would be separated from his family. (Chapter 41)

2. Henry’s father intercepted Henry’s letters to Keiko at the local post office. He also arranged for Henry to become close to Ethel. (Chapter 47)

Chapters 48-52

Reading Check

1. “Fix” the relationship with Keiko (Chapter 49)

2. Bud’s Jazz Records (Chapter 50)

3. Greenwich Village (Chapter 52)

Short Answer

1. He feels that he let Keiko go many years ago. He had a chance, and he didn’t take it. (Chapter 48)