In the Pond cover

In the Pond

by Ha Jin

A factory worker in China revenges himself on party bosses when they pass him up for promotion because he won't kow-tow to them. The worker, Shao Bin, creates a political cartoon in a provincial newspaper and it becomes an instant success. A satire on China by the author of Ocean of Words.

More by Ha Jin

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?