The quest to discover the truth about her family's history is central to the main narrative of June Woo and her mother, Suyuan. Ask students to interview female relatives in their family -- such as mothers, aunts or grandmothers -- about the experiences and trials they faced when they were the same age as they were. Devise a series of potential interview topics, such as the interview subject's greatest struggles, the political climate of the time and how it affected the subject's life and the biggest journey (physical or emotional) that the subject had to take. Ask students to draw parallels between their own lives and the experiences of their relatives, much like the daughters in the book must do to come to terms with their own mothers.
Food plays an important role in "The Joy Luck Club"; it is mentioned in the opening pages of the book and serves as a signifier of cultural tensions and a means of expressing affection. Have students research the cuisine that is native to their own heritage and prepare a report on the role of culture and food in their own lives. Is there a dish that their family makes every holiday? Do specific foods invoke certain memories or emotions? Are their dishes served to remind the family of its ancestral roots? What are the food traditions of their ancestors' homelands? On the day that reports are due, ask students to prepare a dish that holds significance for their family and bring it to class for a multi-cultural potluck celebration.
While a brilliant work of fiction, "The Joy Luck Club" is laced with history. The rise of communism and the devastation of World War II forms the backdrop for the turbulent stories of the four mothers. Create hand-outs with information about the historical context of the events in "The Joy Luck Club," then read the information out loud as a class. Intersperse a paragraph of historical context with an excerpt from the book that relates to that event. Include readings from real survivor accounts of events like the Long March and the Japanese occupation of China, which forced the fictional Suyuan to abandon her infant daughters as she fled for her life. Students can gain a fuller appreciation of the events depicted in the novel by understanding their historical basis, which may lead to new insights in the rationale behind the characters' desperate choices.
Each section of "The Joy Luck Club" starts with a parable that reflects the theme of that chapter, and the entire novel is full of references to Chinese folk tales, stories and myths. Through these folk tales and parables, the reader discovers the values and beliefs of the novel's eight main characters. Ask students to write their own one-page fairy tale, myth or parable that demonstrates the qualities they value in themselves and others, as well as their personal philosophy. Host an in-class reading of the student's fairy tales, then make photo-copies of the stories and bind them into a booklet for each student.