Session 01 · Book Club

Chapter 1

Salva & the War

📅 Thursday, May 7

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 1

Theme — Survival

Survival

The fact of continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions. To survive is not just to stay alive — it is to keep going when every reason to stop seems louder than the one to continue.

"What is the smallest thing that keeps a person moving forward?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Survival. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

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Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

When the shooting starts, Salva's teacher tells the students to run — but gives no direction. What does this moment reveal about how survival begins — not with a plan, but with a single step?

Read through the lens of Survival. What does Park choose to show us here — and what does that choice say about what survival asks of a person before they've had time to think?

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

Salva doesn't know where his family is. He's surrounded by strangers. What is the first thing a person holds on to when everything else disappears?

Look closely at what the text gives Salva to hold on to. What does Park choose — and why does that choice matter for what this chapter says about Survival?

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Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

🔒

The war is the background — but Salva doesn't fully understand it. He's eleven. How much does a person need to understand a situation in order to survive it?

What does the text suggest? Find a line or a moment in the chapter that holds the answer.

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 1. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

Salva's world changed overnight — without warning, without a plan. Has there been a moment in your life when everything shifted suddenly? What did you do with that?

Salva's survival is physical — running, hiding, moving forward. But survival takes many forms. What does surviving look like in your daily life right now?

If you need a starting point —

When everything changed, the hardest part was...

What kept me going was...

I didn't expect to feel...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.

"Salva — I'd tell you: you didn't freeze. That matters more than you know."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

What happened today

You walked into a war zone with Salva — eleven years old, alone, running toward nothing. You asked hard questions. You found your own story inside his. That's not reading. That's attention.

How it works going forward

Before each chapter, you'll get a theme — your lens for the week. You read through it, notice what it reveals, and bring it here. The book stays the same. What changes is what you see.

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 2 — A Long Walk to Water

Abandonment

As you read, pay attention to every moment someone is left behind — or leaves. Who gets abandoned? Is it always a choice? Bring one moment that stayed with you.

Session 02 · Book Club

Chapter 2

Salva Wakes Alone

📅 Thursday, May 14

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 2

🎥 Join the class

Theme — Abandonment

Abandonment

The act of leaving someone or something behind — completely, without warning. To be abandoned is to discover, suddenly, that you are alone in a way you didn't choose.

"Is being left always the same as being forgotten?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Abandonment. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

Salva wakes up and the group has left without him. No warning, no goodbye. How does Park write this moment — and what does her choice of words reveal about what abandonment does to a person?

Notice what is absent from this scene — what Park doesn't explain. What does that silence say about the nature of Abandonment?

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

Salva chooses to keep moving even though he has no one. What makes a person continue when there is no external reason to?

Read through the lens of Abandonment. What does Park give Salva in the text — in the details, in the language — that might explain why he keeps going?

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Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

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The old woman keeps Salva — and then lets him go. She abandons him to protect herself. Can abandonment ever be an act of care?

What is Park asking us to understand about Abandonment here? What would you need to believe about care — in order to understand the old woman's choice?

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 2. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

Salva woke up and the people he trusted were gone. Have you ever trusted a situation — a job, a plan, a place — and had it disappear overnight? What did that feel like?

Abandonment isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's subtle — a friend who drifts, a dream that fades. What's something you've quietly let go of, or that quietly let go of you?

If you need a starting point —

The moment I realised I was on my own was...

What surprised me was that I felt...

Looking back, I think what I needed was...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. A message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed that no one else said.

"Nya — I'd tell you: the walk you take every day would break most people. You don't even notice how strong you are."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 3 — A Long Walk to Water

Strangers

As you read, notice who takes care of Salva — and why. These people have no obligation. Pay attention to the moment kindness arrives and the moment it ends. Bring one stranger who surprised you.

Session 03 · Book Club

Chapter 3

The Old Woman & the Bush

📅 Thursday, May 21

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 3

🎥 Join the class

Theme — Strangers

Strangers

People with no obligation to you — who show up anyway. In this chapter, Salva is kept alive entirely by someone who owes him nothing. And when she goes, she goes without apology. Strangers give what they can, and no more.

"Who takes care of someone they have no reason to care for?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Strangers. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

The old woman feeds Salva without knowing his name — without being asked. What does this first exchange reveal about what strangers can offer that those who know us cannot?

Read through the lens of Strangers. What does the text show us about the kind of care that asks nothing in return?

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

Salva and the old woman don't share a language. They communicate through work, presence, gesture. What does Park suggest about connection — can two people truly reach each other without words?

Find a specific moment in the chapter where something is exchanged without language. What is being given — and what is being received?

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Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

🔒

The old woman has no name in this chapter. Park never gives her one. Why might an author choose to leave a character nameless — and what does that choice say about the nature of strangers?

What would change if she had a name? What does namelessness protect — or reveal?

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 3. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

The old woman appears at exactly the moment Salva has nothing. Think about a time when a stranger showed up — someone with no obligation — and their presence made a difference. What made that kind of care feel different from the care of people who knew you?

Strangers give what they can, and no more. The old woman feeds Salva, shelters him, walks with him — and then explains, without cruelty, why she can't take him further. Is there a kindness that has a natural end point — and is that still kindness?

If you need a starting point —

The stranger I keep thinking about is...

What surprised me about their care was...

When it ended, I felt...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.

"Old woman — I'd tell you: you didn't have to explain. But you did. That matters more than you know."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 4 — A Long Walk to Water

Nourishment

As you read Chapter 4, pay attention to every moment something is given — food, water, shelter, a word of encouragement. Nourishment takes many forms here. Notice who provides it, who receives it, and what it costs. Bring one moment of nourishment that surprised you.

Session 04 · Book Club

Chapter 4

The Long Walk Continues

📅 Wednesday, May 20

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 4

🎥 Join the class

Theme — Nourishment

Nourishment

What keeps a person alive beyond the bare minimum. In this chapter, nourishment arrives in unexpected forms — not just food and water, but attention, presence, and the small acts that say: you are worth keeping alive. To be nourished is to be reminded that survival is worth the effort.

"What is the smallest thing that has ever kept you going?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Nourishment. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

At the opening of this chapter, Salva has been walking for days — empty in body and spirit. When the first act of nourishment arrives, what form does Park choose to give it? What does the order matter — what is given first, and what comes after?

Read through the lens of Nourishment. What does the text show us about what a person needs most when everything has been stripped away — and in what sequence?

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

Nourishment in this chapter comes from more than one source — food, yes, but also shelter, presence, and belonging. Which form does Park dwell on the longest? What does that choice reveal about what she believes true nourishment requires?

Find two moments of nourishment that are very different in nature. What does the contrast between them reveal about what survival actually asks of a person?

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Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

🔒

Nya walks hours every day to bring water — the most basic nourishment. What does Park's choice to intercut Nya's story here suggest about the relationship between nourishment and labour? Who works, and who receives?

What does daily responsibility for nourishing others do to a person? Find a detail in Nya's story that holds the answer.

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 4. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

Think about a time when you were genuinely depleted — physically or emotionally. What was the thing that refilled you? Was it what you expected — or did nourishment arrive in a form you didn't see coming?

Nourishment is not always food. It can be a conversation, a long sleep, a piece of music, returning to something familiar. What nourishes you in ways that are quiet or hard to explain?

If you need a starting point —

Something that nourishes me that surprises people is...

When I'm really empty, the first thing I reach for is...

The person who most nourishes me does it by...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.

"Uncle Jewiir — I'd tell you: you didn't just keep him alive. You made the living feel worth something."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 5 — A Long Walk to Water

Protection

As you read Chapter 5, pay attention to every moment someone places themselves between Salva and danger. Protection is not abstract in this chapter — it has a face, a cost, and an end point. Notice who chooses to protect, what that protection asks of them, and what it cannot prevent.

Session 05 · Book Club

Chapter 5

A Long Walk to Water

📅 Wednesday, May 27

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 5

🎥 Join the class

Theme — Protection

Protection

The act of keeping someone safe — sometimes by staying close, sometimes by stepping between them and the threat. Protection in this chapter is not abstract. It has a face, a name, and a cost.

"Who has ever stood between you and something that could have broken you?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Protection. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

What does the presence of a protector do that food and water cannot? When someone steps between Salva and danger in this chapter, what exactly changes for him — not physically, but in terms of what he is able to feel or carry?

Read through the lens of Protection. Find the moment a protector appears and notice what Park shows us — not just the action, but what that action makes possible for Salva.

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

Protection implies vulnerability — someone is being protected because they cannot fully protect themselves. How does Salva experience that vulnerability in this chapter? Is it something he resists, accepts, or something more complicated?

Find a moment where Salva's need for protection is most visible. What does Park reveal about what it costs a person to be the one who needs protecting?

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Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

🔒

Is there a difference between being protected and being controlled? Protection requires one person to have power over another's safety. Where might that line appear in this chapter — and does Park ever let Salva feel the weight of that distinction?

Think about the protector's position. What gives them authority to protect — and what does that authority ask of Salva in return, even if nothing is said out loud?

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 5. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

Think about a time when someone protected you — not from something small, but from something that could have genuinely broken you. What did that protection look like? Did the person who gave it know how much it mattered?

Protection has a cost. The people who stand between us and danger — whether physically, emotionally, or professionally — carry something for us. Who in your life has paid that cost? Have you ever been the one paying it?

If you need a starting point —

The person who most protected me did it by...

The time I felt most protected was when...

I didn't realise someone was protecting me until...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.

"Uncle Jewiir — I'd tell you: the fact that you chose to stay says more about who you are than anything you could have said."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 6 — A Long Walk to Water

Loss

As you read Chapter 6, notice what disappears — and how Park writes those disappearances. Some losses are sudden; some are slow. Pay attention to how Salva responds in the moment, and what he carries forward.

Session 06 · Book Club

Chapter 6

What Disappears

📅 Wednesday, June 10

🕐 7h BR · 12h NL

📖 Chapter 6

🎥 Join the class

Theme — Loss

Loss

The disappearance of something that cannot be replaced. Loss in this book is not only death — it is also the quiet fading of hope, of safety, of the people who made the journey bearable.

"What is something you lost that you didn't realise you were depending on until it was gone?"

⚡ The Recap Race · 5 min

30 seconds per person. One student starts — when the timer ends, stop. Another student must jump in and continue sharing.

0:30

Ready

Together, you retell the whole chapter.

🔍 Through the Lens · 25 min

Today's theme is Loss. One card at a time — flip it when you're ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 01

Tap to reveal

↩

Loss in this chapter comes without warning. What does Park show us about how a person absorbs an unexpected loss — in the body, in the mind, in the way the story itself is written?

Read through the lens of Loss. Find the moment it arrives in the text. How does Park write it — fast or slow, plain or loaded? What does that choice do to the reader?

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Question 02

Unlocked after question 1

🔒

After the loss, the journey continues. What does it mean to keep walking when the thing that made the walk bearable is gone? How does Park show Salva carrying that absence?

Find a moment after the loss where Salva is still moving, still surviving. What is he thinking? What does the text leave unsaid — and why might Park have made that choice?

✦ ✦ ✦

Question 03

Unlocked after question 2

🔒

How does Nya's experience of loss differ from Salva's — and what does that difference reveal about the nature of loss itself? Can two people lose the same thing in completely different ways?

Look at what each character is denied in this chapter. What does Park want us to understand by placing these two kinds of loss side by side?

📖 Word Harvest · 10 min

Share one word or expression you want to steal from Chapter 6. Where did you find it? Why do you want it?

🌍 Your World · 10 min

The bridge between Salva's story and yours.

Think about something you lost that you didn't realise you were depending on until it was gone. Not necessarily a person — it can be a routine, a belief, a version of yourself. What made that loss surprising?

After Salva's loss, the walking continues. There's no pause, no space to mourn. When have you had to keep going through something — carrying a loss without time to stop?

If you need a starting point —

Something I lost that surprised me was...

What I didn't expect about that loss was...

The thing that kept me going was...

✍️ The Last Word · 5 min

To close every session —

Choose one character from this chapter.
Leave them one final word. It can be a message, a question, a challenge — or simply something you noticed about them that no one else said.

"Marial — I'd tell you: I know you weren't the reason he kept going. But you became a reason. That matters, even now."

✨ Session Wrap Up

✨

What the group said today

A summary of the insights from this session

🎯

Catch of the day

One thing from today worth stealing for your English

Next Week · Your Reading Lens

Chapter 7 — A Long Walk to Water

Endurance

As you read Chapter 7, pay attention to the texture of Salva's walk — what he sees, what he thinks about, what keeps his feet moving. Endurance is not always visible. Sometimes it lives in the smallest habits. Bring one moment where you felt his endurance most clearly.

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Session 7

Chapter 7 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Endurance

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Session 8

Chapter 8 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Breaking Point

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Session 9

Chapter 9 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Grief

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Session 10

Chapter 10 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Belonging

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Session 11

Chapter 11 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Chaos

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Session 12

Chapter 12 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Leadership

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Session 13

Chapter 13 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Patience

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Session 14

Chapter 14 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Starting Over

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Session 15

Chapter 15 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Hope

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Session 16

Chapter 16 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Reunion

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Session 17

Chapter 17 — unlocked after class.

Theme — Purpose

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Session 18

Chapter 18 — the final session. Coming soon.

Theme — Reconciliation