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Dragon House

by John Shors

Published: 2009-09-01
Paperback : 354 pages

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Introduction

Set in modern-day Vietnam, DRAGON HOUSE tells the tale of Iris and Noah-two Americans, who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children. Irish and Noah find themselves reborn in an exotic land filled with corruption and chaos, sacrifice and beauty. Inspired by the street children she meets, Iris walks in the footsteps of her father, a man whom Vietnam both shattered and saved. Meanwhile, Noah slowly rediscovers himself through the eyes of an unexpected companion. Resounding with the powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, DRAGON HOUSE brings together East and West, war and peace; and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

Sahn walked toward the center. The squat building soon confronted him. Stepping past the gate, he moved inside. No noises came from upstairs. Curious where everyone was, he walked through the kitchen and into the playground.

He heard the American's voice before he saw her outline. She might have glanced up at him as he approached. She sat on the ground while four figures occupied a bench in front of her. One of them appeared to be under a blanket.

Iris paused from reading to look at him. "Hello," she said. "May I help you?"

He shook his head, wondering if she was glad to see him, if she understood how he tried to protect them. "Not now," he replied.

"I just opened a book. I'm going to read a story."

"Good."

"You don't mind waiting?"

"No."

"Well . . . thank you."

Sahn didn't turn away and seek someplace quiet to sit. Instead he studied the four figures, finally recognizing Qui and Tam. He listened to Iris read a story about a British family who lived in India. At first Sahn didn't like the family, for he knew that the British had colonized India in the same way that the French had occupied Vietnam. But as the story unfolded, he was captivated by the tale of a mongoose that fought cobras to protect a young boy. The mongoose was named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Sahn had never seen a mongoose, but he'd heard of them, and he grew to admire Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who risked his life in an epic struggle to rid the family's garden of cobras. The mongoose was cunning and brave and loyal, and his dedication and love for the boy were commendable.

Glancing up as she read, Iris could see that Sahn was listening to her every word. Thien had told her about his promise to deliver the swing set and his desire to save four homeless girls. Though Iris still felt uneasy in his presence, she also was surprisingly pleased to have him listening to the story. As she read, she wondered why her father had been sent to fight such men. She couldn't imagine Sahn killing her father or her father killing him. It just didn't make sense.

Iris continued to read, now watching the children, aware that Mai and Minh were completely mesmerized by her words and that Tam was trying to stay awake but was drifting to sleep. Thinking of Tam's fate, of what the doctor had said earlier that day, Iris felt weariness creep into her voice, even though she tried to keep it at bay. She did her best to inject excitement into her story-a story that she'd loved since childhood.

As Sahn listened, he heard her exhaustion and felt her strength. He saw how she continuously glanced at Tam, how she sought to make the children smile. And her passion, her commitment to the children were suddenly as tangible to him as the sun on his skin. She treated them as if they were her own.

Perhaps she is the mongoose, Sahn thought. She's everything that he is, and she's doing everything that he does. She's saving those girls from snakes, and I've been nothing more than a grasshopper who watches from afar. It's true that her country destroyed my family . . . and . . . I'll never forgive that crime. Never. But she's a mongoose in a world of snakes. In my world. And I think she wants my help. And I need to help her, even though I'm no longer a mongoose like her. I'm old and poor. I can't see. I still have hate in my heart. But I'm not going to blame her. Instead I'm going to help her. Perhaps I can be the bird that warns this . . . Rikki-Tikki-Tavi of the snakes. If she can be the mongoose, I can be the bird. I don't care if she's American, if her father killed my countrymen. She's doing what's right and I'm going to help her. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

From the author:

1. What compelled you to read Dragon House?
2. What did you enjoy most about the novel?
3. Were you aware that so many children around the world are homeless?
4. Which character did you like the most? Why?
5. Do you think John Shors tried to draw comparisons between the Vietnam War and the Iraq War? If so, why?
6. If you have read John Shors's earlier novels (Beneath a Marble Sky and Beside a Burning Sea), how do you think he has changed as a writer, if at all?
7. What did you think of Loc? Why do you think the author chose to make him a former street child?
8. Could you tell that John Shors had traveled extensively in Vietnam? Do think it's important for writers to visit the places that they bring to life?
9. The author talks a lot about "dragons" in his novel. What do you think dragons symbolize in the story?
10. Did you enjoy Minh's character more when he was silent or when he spoke? Why?
11. Would you like to read a sequel to Dragon House? If a sequel were written, what do you think would happen in it?
12. What do you enjoy most about John Shors's writing style?

Weblinks

»	Book's Official web site
»	John Shor's Beneath the Marble Sky
»	John Shor's Beside a Burning Sea

Notes From the Author to the Bookclub

A note from the author to BookMovement readers:

I've been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling. A time existed, after I graduated from college, when I taught English in Japan and then backpacked around Asia. I had little money and tended to stay in rooms that cost a few dollars a night. With nothing more than a couple sets of T-shirts and shorts in my backpack, I visited places such as Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Korea. Some of these countries I grew to know quite well. I'd find a cheap room, rent a scooter, and explore as much of an area as possible. Sometimes my future wife or my friends were with me, though I was often alone.

I saw so many beautiful things throughout these adventures, sights such as the Taj Mahal, the Himalayan peaks, and white-sand beaches unspoiled by humanity's touch. But I think that I witnessed the most beauty within the street children I encountered. These children seemed so similar, country to country. They were out at all times of day and night, selling their postcards, their fans, their flowers. For many nights in Thailand, I played Connect Four with a boy who wasn't older than seven or eight. Some travelers told me not to play with him, convinced that his parents were nearby and were sending him out at night to work. But I never saw his parents, and one night I spied him sleeping on a sidewalk, a piece of cardboard his bed. I don't think I ever beat him in a game.

Throughout these travels I met hundreds, if not thousands, of children who lived on the street. Sometimes they were sick or had a physical deformity. But most of them were simply homeless-abandoned into extreme poverty. Bright, eager, and unafraid to laugh with a stranger, they taught me so much. I owe them so much.

It is my hope that Dragon House will be a success, and out of that success something good can happen. I plan on donating some of the funds generated from my book to an organization called Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. This group works with children in crisis throughout Vietnam. Blue Dragon offers disadvantaged children a wide range of services and support to help them break out of poverty, forever, by getting them back to school and helping them achieve their best.

Book Club Recommendations

Recommended to book clubs by 1 of 1 members.

Member Reviews

Overall rating:

"Opened a new world for me"by Janet F. (see profile) 11/03/10

This novel is about two Americans who travel to modern-day Vietnam to start an orphange for homeless children. This novel made me laugh and cry and smile. I won't forget it.

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