In partnership with faculty in College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Libraries are a host of materials for the 2025-2026 Great Michigan Read!

This year’s Great Michigan Read is Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant by Curtis Chin.

We have copies to check out across GVSU campuses and other resources for participating!

To learn more, visit the Great Michigan Read website. 

Can't get to the libraries to check out a Discussion Leader Kit? We're providing digital versions of the conversation cards provided by the Michigan Humanities Council below. Use them to help guide your group discussion!

Connecting

1. Throughout his book, Curtis Chin describes Chung's role in the city of Detroit. Is there a restaurant like that in your community? What role does it play? Who does it bring together?
2. How are social issues described in the book relevant in today's world, and what parallels can you draw between the book and current events?
3. Curtin Chin writes, "Other parents may have warned their kids not to talk to strangers, but my dad encouraged it. Thanks to him, I learned not to be afraid of people who were different from me." Does this quote resonate with you? Does it remind you of any life lessions you learned as a child?
4. Throughout his book, Curtis Chin describes his relationship with Mr. Mah, the fry cook at Chung's. How did Mr. Mah impact Curtis' life? Have you had a similarly pivitol relationship in your life?
5. Curtis Chin develops Detroit as a character throughout his book and describes the relationship he had with the city. How would you characterize the place where you grew up? How did the community and its history shape you?
6. In a section about Curtis Chin's elementary school experiences, he writes, "Years later, I learned that what I was doing was called code-switching - consciously speaking and acting differently depending on the background of the people around me - but at that age, it was called survival." Did Curtis' description bring back memories or remind you of similar experiences you've had?
7. Have you traveled to any of the locations mentioned in the book? How were your experiences similar to or different from what Curtis Chin described?
8. Migration to and across Michigan has shaped our state for centuries. What do you know about your region, city, or town's immigration history? What do you want to learn more about?

Sharing

1. Read the first chapter's opening sentence: "Welcome to Chung's. Is this for here or to go?" Why do you think Curtis Chin chose this as his opening? How is the question important to him throughout the book?
2. Curtis Chin has organized his book like the sections of a Chinese menu. What sections did you find the most interesting? What sections were you least engaged with?
3. What is your favorite memory or story that Curtis Chin shares in his book? Why do you think Curtis included that specific memory or story in his book?
4. Throughout his book, Curtis Chin describes the ways his family relationships evolved. What do you think changed the most as everyone grew older? What stayed the same? What examples stood out to you?
5. What do you think of the book's cover? How well does it convey what Curtis Chin is writing about?
6. As Curtis Chin grows more aware of his sexuality, what challenges does he face? How did this intersect with his identity as a Chinese American?
7. What do you think compelled Curtin Chin to tell this story? What do you think about the book's relevance and timeliness?
8. As he describes coming out to his friend Mimi, Curtis Chin writes, "I was so concerned with hiding my own sexuality that I had forgotten that other people were on their own journeys." How did reading about this interaction with Mimi make you feel? How do our assumptions impact relationships and community?

Facts

1. Curtis Chin describes himself as a writer, producer, director, and activist. In addition to touring the world for Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant, he has screened his documentary films at over 600 venues in 20 countries.
2. Over the last 100+ years, Detroit has been home to two Chinatowns. The first was established in 1917 near the corner of Third and Porter Streets, just west of downtown Detroit. After being forced to relocate during the construction of the Lodge Freeway, Chinatown was rebuilt in the Cass Corridor in the 1960's.
3. In Chinese culture, the number eight is considered very lucky and associated with success and prosperity.
4. Over the course of six decades, Chung's sold an estimated 10 million egg rolls.
5. In 1910, Houghton County in the Upper Penninsula had the largest Chinese population in the state of Michigan.