From the opening pages of Eleanor & Park, it's clear that race is a big deal. It's the first thing we hear the kids talk about on the bus, and in this white, Midwestern town, anyone who's not white is an outsider. In Omaha in 1986, racist slurs are casually tossed around—this is not the PC world of today. Rowell makes us aware of what it must have been like to be a minority in a place with almost no other minorities at all. And guess what? It ain't easy.
Questions About Race
- What do we learn about the Flats, the neighborhood where Eleanor and Park live? Is it a diverse place? What kind of people live there?
- What's it like to be a black person at Eleanor and Park's school? How about an Asian person?
- What kinds of assumptions do people make about Park based on his race?
- How much does Park identify with being Korean?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
Even though Park doesn't really know anything about being Korean, it's a huge part of his identity, just because he happens to look Asian.
Park's disinterest in his Korean heritage is a result of his mom's efforts to fit in in the United States.