Story Circle Network

Austin Chapter
Reader's Guide

October 2003

A Single Square Picture: A Korean Adoptee's Search for Her Roots
by Katy Robinson

When Robinson was seven years old, her mother and grandmother put her on a plane from Korea to America to be adopted by American parents. Raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Robinson grows up in a caring (though somewhat troubled) family but doesn't learn about her Korean heritage. At the age of 27, Robinson decides to seek out her parents...

  1. Why do you think Katy chose this title? What emotion did it stir in you?

  2. How did Katy's relationship with her adoptive mother unfold in this book? What was your reaction to the mother's visit to Korea? Would anything have been different if Katy had found her birth mother instead of her father?

  3. In Chapter 6, Katy discusses her assimilation into American culture and the ways in which she tries to fit in with her adoptive family. What reaction did you have to her stories? How does her being Korean in Salt Lake City affect her experience? How does she reconcile her Korean heritage and experience with her American experience?

  4. What was your initial impression of Katy's Korean father, and how did that change throughout the story? How does this compare with her half-brother?

  5. Why do you think Katy heard different stories about her birth mother? Do you think she will continue to search for her? What changed for her?

  6. How does Katy's story affect your attitude toward adoption - international and domestic?

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