Book Club Questions

For PHOENIX GIRL: HOW A FAT ASIAN WITH BIPOLAR FOUND LOVE

Here are some questions to get you started!

1. What do you think the title PHOENIX GIRL means?
2. PHOENIX GIRL is part travel memoir and food memoir. Did any of these parts stand out to you? Why?
3. How did being a woman of color, an immigrant, and someone with a mental health condition intersect to influence Michelle’s life experiences?
4. What themes or scenes in this memoir resonated with you the most?
5. Michelle struggled with her family’s expectations for her career and her determination to stay in treatment for her mental health against her father’s wishes. 
6. Michelle writes at length about separating culture and trauma. What does this mean to you? Do you agree with this concept?
7. What does it mean to see a memoir that centers a fat, Asian woman with bipolar disorder? Why is this representation important?
8. Did this memoir challenge or change the way you think about body image, mental health, or cultural identity? If so, how?
9. PHOENIX GIRL covers some serious topics, but there are also moments of levity and relief throughout. Did you find any of them to be particularly touching or fun?