1. Why do you think the book is titled Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven?

2. The author mentions several times in the book that she and Claire were Ivy Leaguers. Why do you think she does this?

3. To this end, she also mentions that she and her friend were groomed to be “the future leaders of America.” Why might she have gone out of her way to point this out? Does this detail have implications beyond the immediate story?

4. How do the people in this book transform over time? Are the changes predictable?

5. What role does China itself play in the narrative? Could this misadventure just as easily taken place anywhere else?

6. Did you find the narrator herself sympathetic? Heroic? Does she seem to think that she was --- or was not?

7. This adventure took place in 1986. Do you think it's still relevant today? Why or why not?

8. Did your own feelings for the people change over the course of the story? If so, how?

9. If you could ask the author any questions directly about Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, what would they be?