Conduct interviews with first- and second-generation immigrants from any country, whether from your school or the local community. Prepare a class presentation on the varying perspectives each generation holds about their country of origin and the United States. How do second-generation immigrants, who are U.S. citizens by birth, perceive the United States? Do they strive to learn about their parents' culture?

Asian immigrants are sometimes referred to as the model minority. Investigate this term. What does it signify and why are Asians considered to represent it? Is this label accurate? Do Asian immigrants achieve success more consistently than, for example, Hispanic immigrants? If so, why might this be the case? Write an essay detailing your research and presenting your findings.

Compose an essay analyzing the portrayal of the Kanno family in chapter 6 of the novel. How does Mr. Kanno's life exemplify the American dream? In what ways does his family embody the ideal of Japanese immigrant assimilation into mainstream American culture?

Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, cautioning readers about the risks, in the context of the current U.S. war on terror, of treating Arab Americans or Muslim Americans differently from any other American citizens. Use the historical example of the unjust internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s as a central part of your argument. Include relevant facts and connect them to the current situation in the United States.