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Spouses Organization Book Club
United by Our Love of Reading.
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
1.Though The Glass Castle is brimming with unforgettable stories; which scenes were the most memorable for you? Which were the most shocking, the most inspiring, the funniest?
2. The first story Walls tells of her childhood is that of her burning herself severely at age three, and her father dramatically takes her from the hospital: “You’re safe now (p.14).” Why do you think she opens with that story, and how does it set the stage for the rest of the memoir?
3. What is the “glass castle” and what does it signify to Jeannette and her father?
4. Rex Walls often asked his children, “Have I ever let you down?” Why was this question (and the required “No, Dad” response) so important for him–and for his kids? On what occasions did he actually come through for them?
5. What kind of man was Rex Walls? What were his strengths and weaknesses, his flaws and contradictions?
6. What kind of woman was Rose Mary Walls? What did you think about her description of herself as an “excitement addict? (p. 93)”
7. In college, Jeannette is singled out by a professor for not understanding the plight of homeless people; instead of defending herself, she keeps quiet. Why do you think she does this? Is homelessness a choice?
8. The two major pieces of the memoir — one half set in the desert and one half in West Virginia — feel distinct. What effect did such a big move have on the family –and on your reading of the story? How would you describe the shift in the book’s tone?
9. What was Jeannette’s relationship to her siblings? Were you surprised to learn that, as adults, Jeannette and her siblings remained close to their parents? Why do you think this is?
10. What do parents owe children and what do children owe parents?
11. Though it portrays an incredibly hard scrabble life, The Glass Castle is never sad or depressing. How do you think that the author achieved that effect?
12. The most extraordinary thing about The Glass Castle is that despite everything, Jeannette Walls refuses to condemn her parents. Were you able to be equally nonjudgmental?
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover
1. What are the implications of the novel’s title phrase, the poisonwood bible, particularly in connection with the main characters’ lives and the novel’s main themes? How important are the circumstances in which the phrase comes into being?
2. How does Kingsolver differentiate among the Price sisters, particularly in terms of their voices? What does each sister reveal about herself and the other three, their relationships, their mother and father, and their lives in Africa? What is the effect of our learning about events and people through the sisters’ eyes
3. What is the significance of the Kikongo word nommo and its attendant concepts of being and naming? Are there Christian parallels to the constellation of meanings and beliefs attached to nommo? How do the Price daughters’ Christian names and their acquired Kikongo names reflect their personalities and behavior?
4. The sisters refer repeatedly to balance (and, by implication, imbalance). What kinds of balance–including historical, political, and social–emerge as important? Are individual characters associated with specific kinds of balance or imbalance? Do any of the sisters have a final say on the importance of balance?
5. What do we learn about cultural, social, religious, and other differences between Africa and America? To what degree do Orleanna and her daughters come to an understanding of those differences? Do you agree with what you take to be Kingsolver’s message concerning such differences?
6. Why do you suppose that Reverend Nathan Price is not given a voice of his own? Do we learn from his wife and daughters enough information to formulate an adequate explanation for his beliefs and behavior? Does such an explanation matter?
7. What differences and similarities are there among Nathan Price’s relationship with his family, Tata Ndu’s relationship with his people, and the relationship of the Belgian and American authorities with the Congo? Are the novel’s political details–both imagined and historical–appropriate?
8. How does Kingsolver present the double themes of captivity and freedom and of love and betrayal? What kinds of captivity and freedom does she explore? What kinds of love and betrayal? What are the causes and consequences of each kind of captivity, freedom, love, and betrayal?
9. At Bikoki Station, in 1965, Leah reflects, “I still know what justice is.” Does she? What concept of justice does each member of the Price family and other characters (Anatole, for example) hold? Do you have a sense, by the novel’s end, that any true justice has occurred
10. In Book Six, Adah proclaims, “This is the story I believe in . . .” What is that story? Do Rachel and Leah also have stories in which they believe? How would you characterize the philosophies of life at which Adah, Leah, and Rachel arrive? What story do you believe in?
11. At the novel’s end, the carved-animal woman in the African market is sure that “There has never been any village on the road past Bulungu,” that “There is no such village” as Kilanga. What do you make of this?
‘Night Mother by Marsha Norman
1.What preparations has Jesse been making for her suicide? Why has she been so careful in her planning? Why did she wait until this particular time to commit suicide?
2.One of Jesse’s statements in the play is: “This is how I have my say…and I say No!” To what is Jesse saying “No?” Why is she committing suicide?
3. What specific things does Jesse tell Mama she is to do after she has committed suicide? Why does Jesse give Mama such specific directions?
4. What are some of the specific things Jesse has in the box which she brings into the living room?
5. What are some of the tactics Mama uses during the play to delay Jesse’s final act? What final tactic does she use after Jesse has gone in her room at the end of the play?
6. One of Mama’s final statements in the play (after she hears the shot in Jesse’s bedroom) is: “Jesse, Jesse, child…forgive me. I thought you were mine.” Explain what Mama means by this statement.
7. Contrast Jesse and Mama’s views of life.
8. Often Greek dramas deal with ethical issues to which there may be no clear cut answers. Do you believe that there is a right/wrong answer to Jesse’s decision?
Dracula by Bram Stoker
1. Dracula relies on journal fragments, letters, and newspaper clippings to tell its story. Why might Stoker have chosen to narrate the story in this way? Do letters and journal entries make the story seem more authentic or believable to you? Likewise, discuss the significance that many of the male protagonists are doctors (Dr. Seward) or men of science (Dr. Van Helsing). Why is this important to the story?
2. How does the novel invert Christian mythology in its description of Count Dracula’s reign of terror? For instance, what specific elements of Stoker’s story parallel scenes or images from the New Testament? Why might this subversion of Christian myth be significant?
3. Discuss the roles of Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker in the novel. How are the two women similar? Different? What accounts for their differences? To what extent does the novel depend on both of these women to propel the narrative forward?
4. Discuss the role of sexuality in Dracula. Would you say that Dracula attempts to reproduce himself sexually or by some other means? In what ways does the figure of Dracula subvert conventional notions of heterosexuality? Consider, for instance, his predilection for drinking blood and his habit of making his victims feed from his chest.
5. What are the elements of vampire folklore? For example, what, according to the novel, attracts or repels a vampire? How do you kill a vampire for good? Although Stoker did not invent the mythology of the vampire, his novel firmly established the conventions of vampire fiction. Choose another novel that deals with vampires and compare it with Dracula. (Consider, for example, one of Anne Rice’s vampirebooks.) In what ways are the novels similar? Different?
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
1. Describe the relationship between Astrid and Ingrid early in the book. Why was Astrid fearful her mother would “fly away” if she mentioned she would have enjoyed having a father, summer camp, a Y program, or summer school?
2. Astrid said “My mother was not the least bit curious about me.” (p. 10) How do you think that made this twelve year-old feel? What do you think that does to a child to come to that realization?
3. Why does Astrid express herself through her paintings and drawings versus words?
4. Discuss the symbolism of the wildfires and Astrid’s coming of age, her desires, and her feelings?
5. Compare the characteristics of the white oleander to Ingrid. Then draw a comparison to the type of mother she was, and the type of prisoner she was. Can you compare any characteristics of the white oleander to Astrid?
6. Ingrid said in a passage “Isn’t it funny, I’m enjoying my hatred so much more than I ever enjoyed love.” (p. 34) How does this come back to haunt her?
7. Astrid takes a few of her mother’s things before the child welfare people take her away. What is the significance of the ex-acto knife? Of the kimono? What solace or strength do they offer her?
8. Although Astrid tells Paul “I don’t let anyone touch me” (p.265) discuss how Claire touched her. Did others touch her as well? What is it about her experiences with people that make her feel this way? Discuss the powerful ways in which Astrid touched other people.
9. Why would Astrid choose Rena as her new foster mother versus Bill and Ann Greenway? Was she in some way trying to punish herself? Why did she feel she deserved Rena?
10. Discuss the various letters from mother to daughter, especially the one on p. 303. At what point did Astrid start to pull away from her mother emotionally? At what point was she snapped back?
11. Referring to her relationship with Ray, Astrid said “I was the snake in the garden.” (p.93) How does this phrase relate to Marvel, Claire and Rena?
12. Why does Astrid wait several hours before alerting Ron to Claire’s death? What in Astrid died at the same time?
13. Discuss Astrid’s view of men. How does Ray compare to Ron? Does she blame men for the bad things that happen to women? Are women merely pawns in a man’s world? How does she rise above this?
14. Why do you think Astrid always found herself in the position of caregiver to Starr’s children, Marvel’s children, and Claire when she was so deeply in need of care herself?
15. Life presents us with important lessons to be learned. What was the ultimate life lesson Astrid learned in her teenage journey? Why would she consider, and desire, a new life with her mother, yet not return to her in the end?
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
1. To what extent do the chapters concerning the elderly Jacob enhance the chapters recounting the young Jacob’s experiences with the Benzini Brothers circus? In what ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper understanding of the elderly Jacob’s life?
2. How does the novel’s epigraph, the quote from Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hatches the Egg, apply to the novel? What are the roles and importance of faithfulness and loyalty in Water for Elephants? In what ways does Gruen contrast the antagonisms and cruelties of circus life with the equally impressive loyalties and instances of caring?
3. Who did you, upon reading the prologue, think murdered August? What effect did that opening scene of chaos and murder have on your reception of the story that follows?
4. In connection with Jacob’s formal dinner with August and Marlena in their stateroom, Jacob remarks, “August is gracious, charming, and mischievous” (page 93). To what extent is this an adequate characterization of August? How would you expand upon Jacob’s observation? How would you characterize August? Which situations in the novel reveal his true character?
5. August says of Marlena, “Not everyone can work with liberty horses. It’s a God-given talent, a sixth sense, if you will” (page 94). Both August and Jacob recognize Marlena’s skills, her “sixth sense,” in working with the horses. In what ways does that sixth sense attract each man? How do August and Jacob differ in terms of the importance each places on Marlena’s abilities?
6. After Jacob puts Silver Star down, August talks with him about the reality of the circus. “The whole thing’s illusion, Jacob,” he says, “and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s what people want from us. It’s what they expect” (page 104). How does Gruen contrast the worlds of reality and illusion in the novel? Is there anything wrong with pandering to people’s need for illusion? Why do we crave the illusions that the circus represents?
7. Reflecting on the fact that his platitudes and stories don’t hold his children’s interest, the elderly Jacob notes, “My real stories are all out of date. So what if I can speak firsthand about the Spanish flu, the advent of the automobile, world wars, cold wars, guerrilla wars, and Sputnik — that’s all ancient history now. But what else do I have to offer?” (page 110). How might we learn to appreciate the stories and life lessons of our elders and encourage people younger than ourselves to appreciate our own?
8. Looking at himself in the mirror, the old Jacob tries “to see beyond the sagging flesh.” But he claims, “It’s no good. . . . I can’t find myself anymore. When did I stop being me?” (page 111). How would you answer that question for Jacob or any individual, or for yourself?
9. In what ways and to what degree do Uncle Al’s maneuvers and practices regarding the defunct Fox Brothers circus reflect traditional American business practices? How would you compare his behavior with that of major businessmen and financiers of today? What alternative actions would you prefer?
10. As he lies on his bedroll, after his night with Barbara and Nell, Jacob cannot empty his mind of troubling visions and he reflects that “the more distressing the memory, the more persistent its presence” (page 143). How might the elderly Jacob’s memories corroborate or contradict this observation? What have been your experiences and observations in this regard?
11. In his Carnival of the Animals, Ogden Nash wrote, “Elephants are useful friends.” In what ways is Rosie a “useful” friend? What is Rosie’s role in the events that follow her acquisition by Uncle Al?
12. After Jacob successfully coaches August in Polish commands for Rosie, he observes, “It’s only when I catch Rosie actually purring under August’s loving ministrations that my conviction starts to crumble. And what I’m left looking at in its place is a terrible thing” (page 229). What is Jacob left “looking at,” how does it pertain to August’s personality and Jacob’s relationship with August, and what makes it a “terrible thing”?
13. How did you react to the redlighting of Walter and Camel, and eight others, off the trestle? How might we see Uncle Al’s cutthroat behavior as “an indictment of a lifetime spent feigning emotions to make a buck” (in the words of one reviewer)?
14. After the collapse of the Benzini Brothers circus and Uncle Al’s having “done a runner” (page 314), Jacob realizes, “Not only am I unemployed and homeless, but I also have a pregnant woman, bereaved dog, elephant, and eleven horses to take care of” (page 317). What expectations did you entertain for Jacob and Marlena’s — and their menagerie’s — future after they leave the Benzini Brothers circus? How do the elderly Jacob’s memories of Marlena and their life together confirm or alter those expectations?
15. At the end of the novel, Jacob exclaims, “So what if I’m ninety-three? . . . why the hell shouldn’t I run away with the circus?” (page 331). What would you project to be the elderly Jacob’s experiences after he runs away with the circus the second time? How does his decision reflect what we have learned about his early years?
16. Sara Gruen has said that the “backbone” of her novel “parallels the biblical story of Jacob,” in the book of Genesis. On the first night after his leaving Cornell, for example, Jacob — as did his biblical namesake — lies “back on the bank, resting my head on a flat stone” (page 23). In what other ways does Water for Elephants parallel the story of the biblical Jacob? How do the names of many of the characters reflect names of characters in the biblical account?
17. In the words of one reviewer, Water for Elephants “explores . . . the pathetic grandeur of the Depression-era circus.” In what ways and to what extent do the words “pathetic grandeur” describe the world that Gruen creates in her novel?
The Shack by William P. Young
1. How did reading this book affect your faith? Does it change, challenge, strengthen your image of God? Why is God portrayed as a woman, what reasons does God give Mack?
2. Does God answer convincingly the reason for the trinity?
3. Does the idea of God a character in the book, or God’s first-person voice, bother you…or does it work within the context of The Shack’s story?
4. Why did God let Missy die? Do you think The Shack answers convincingly the central question of theodicy, the existence of evil—or why, if there is a God, bad things happen to good people?
5. What does The Shack say about forgiveness—toward the self or toward those who have wronged you.
6. Young has been criticized for advocating lawlessness (p. 122) …or universalism (p. 225)? Do you think that is a fair or unfair criticism?
7. Many readers find the first 4 chapters of The Shack almost too painful to read. Could they have been written in a way that would be less painful—without changing the book’s message?
8. Does the book’s ultimate message satisfy you? Is it possible to let go of control and certainty in life? Is it possible to live only in the present?
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
1. Lily endures excruciating pain in order to have her feet bound. What reasons are given for this dangerous practice?
2. Did See’s descriptions of footbinding remind you of any Western traditions?
3. If some men in 19th-century China knew about nu shu and “old same” friendships, why do you think they allowed these traditions to persist?
4. Reflecting on her first few decades, Lily seems to think her friendship with Snow Flower brought her more good than harm. Do you agree?
5. Lily’s adherence to social customs can seem controversial to us today. Pick a scene where you would have acted differently. Why?
6. Lily defies the wishes of her son in order to pair her grandson with Peony. Does she fully justify her behavior?
7. Lily sometimes pulls us out of the present moment to reflect–as an old woman–on her youthful decisions. What does this device add to the story?
8. How would you film these moments of reflection?
9. If Lily is writing her story to Snow Flower in the afterworld, what do you think Snow Flower’s response would or should be?
10. Did you recognize any aspects of your own friendships in the bond between Lily and Snow Flower?
Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow
1. What is Whuffie?
Whuffie is the ephemeral, reputation-based currency. A person’s current Whuffie is instantly viewable to anyone, as everybody has a brain-implant giving them an interface with the Net.
Whuffie replaces money and is a constantly updated rating that measures how much esteem and respect other people have for you. This rating system determines who gets the few scarce items, like the best housing, a table in a crowded restaurant, or a good place in a queue for a theme park attraction.
2. What is HUD?
HUD (Heads-Up Display) is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game’s user interface. It takes its name from the head-up displays used in modern aircraft. The HUD is frequently used to simultaneously display several pieces of information including the main character’s health, items, and an indication of game progression (such as score or level)
3. Who is the Bitchun Society?
Bitchun Society is the dominant Earth culture in which rejuvenation and body-enhancement have made death obsolete, material goods are no longer scarce, and everyone is granted basic rights that in our present age are mostly considered luxuries.
4. What does Deadhead mean?
Deadhead is a verb and a noun for suspended animation; which is done for two hour plane trips, lengthy space voyages, and ten thousand year substitutes for suicide.
5. What is an Adhocracy?
Adhocracy is a type of organization that is an opposite of bureaucracy that has replaced corporations.
6. What does refreshing or restoring do?
Refresh or a restore from backup is the cure for dying; which consists of creating a “force-grown” clone and downloading into its mind a backup of one’s own mind created earlier. Synthesized memories (from other data sources filling in the time gap between last backup and death) was an innovation created recently in the book.
7. What is a HERF gun?
HERF gun, a narrow cylinder the length of a hand, is a High Energy Radio Frequency generator with a variable-dispersion yet directional and focused beam that can punch through a floor or wall and fuse everything there or can be used to disable the electronic interface in a brain without harming that brain; but is blocked by a Faraday cage.
8. What is Post-scarcity?
Post scarcity describes a hypothetical form of economy or society, often explored in science fiction, in which things such as goods, services and information are free, or practically free. This would be due to an abundance of fundamental resources (matter, energy and intelligence), in conjunction with sophisticated automated systems capable of converting raw materials into finished goods, allowing manufacturing to be as easy as duplicating software.
Something Borrowed & Something Blue by Emily Giffin
1. Would you be friends with Darcy?
2. What do you think was the real impetus behind Rachel’s decision to sleep with Dex after her birthday party? Was it about her desire to break out of her good girl persona? Was it about a long-standing resentment toward Darcy? Or was it both?
3. How do you view Dex? How would you describe Dex and Rachel’s relationship? What drew them together? Do you root for them to be together? Do you think they have true love?
4. Is anything about Rachel and Darcy’s friendship genuine? Do you believe it has changed over time? Why does Rachel defend Darcy against attacks from Ethan and Hillary? Compare and contrast Rachel’s friendship with Hillary and Ethan to her friendship with Darcy.
5. Do you think Dex and Darcy would have married if it weren’t for Dex’s affair with Rachel? Why did he stay with Darcy for so long?
6. How did Rachel’s flawed self-image contribute to the dilemma that she faces? What do you see as her greatest weakness?
7. Was Rachel’s moral dilemma made easier because of Darcy’s personality? Would she have acted on her attraction to Dex if Darcy were a different kind of person and friend? If Rachel had fallen love with Julian, would she have pursued the same course of action? How does Rachel rationalize her affair with Dex?
8. What risks does Rachel take when she pursues her relationship with Dex? What is the biggest moment of risk for her? How does Rachel grow and change in the novel?
9. Disloyalty is a major theme in this novel. How differently do men and women view cheating on a friend? Why is Darcy so indignant when she catches Dex and Rachel together when she has been having an affair of her own?
10. Under what circumstances is it justified to choose love over friendship? How important is it for women to stick together? Have you ever been in a friendship like Darcy and Rachel’s?
11. This novel is told from Rachel’s perspective. How do you think Darcy would tell the same story? How do you think she would describe Rachel? How do you think she views their friendship?
12. Does Darcy’s competitive spirit contribute to her betraying Dex and Rachel? Is it good to have a competitive nature? Can competitiveness go too far?
13. Why does Darcy pursue an affair with Marcus? Is it because of attention? Misgivings about her marriage? Is it because Rachel likes Marcus? Discuss
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
1. Why do you think Corrie spent so much time describing her family and the beje in the beginning of the book?
2. Did this book change your perspective on WWII?
3. What would you do if you were ever faced with a similar situation?
4. What emotion did this book evoke in you as the reader?
5. Can you point to specific passages that struck you personally: as interesting, profound, incomprehensible, etc.?
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
1. I Capture the Castle is told through Cassandra’s entries in her journals, an exercise she has undertaken in order to teach herself how to write. Why do you think Dodie Smith chose the form of the diary to tell the story of Cassandra and the Mortmain family?
2. Consider the attitudes to class depicted in the novel. In what ways can the Mortmains be seen to be a particularly modern family and in what ways do their attitudes reflect the standards of the time?
3. As I Capture the Castle is made up of Cassandra’s diaries, she is ‘captured’ in the novel just as much as she herself endeavours to ‘capture’ life in the castle. Over the course of the novel, Cassandra comes to seem less a child “with a little green hand” and more a young woman. How is I Capture the Castle a story of Cassandra’s coming of age? In what ways does Cassandra change during the months the novel covers?
4. What is the meaning of the book’s title?
5. Cassandra and Simon do not marry by the end of the novel. What factors lead you to believe that they might or might not do so eventually?
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
1. How do you think Mortenson’s childhood shaped him?
2. How is building schools in Pakistan similar to climbing a mountain?
3. What did Mortenson learn from his failed attempt to summit K2?
4. What aspects of Mortenson’s personality have made him able to succeed so well in his efforts in Pakistan?
5. Why do you think the villagers in Korphe were so excited about getting their own school?
6. What is unique about having a school, as opposed to other things Mortenson could have built, like a hospital or a community center?
7. What did you learn about the culture in Northern Pakistan? Did anything surprise you?
8. There are several times in the book when things seem to serendipitously come together for Mortenson: stumbling upon Korphe when he was lost and receiving a $20,000 donation from an audience of two. Do you believe these are the result of divine intervention or just fortunate coincidence?
9. What risks has Mortenson taken? Do you think he has been brave or foolish?
10. After reading Three Cups of Tea, are you optimistic about peace in Pakistan and Afghanistan?
11. Did Three Cups of Tea challenge you to make more of a positive difference in the world?
Taking Control of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
Due to the nature of this book, the host led a general discussion rather than focusing on individual discussion questions. Below are some of the details she submitted:
Author Biography:
Toni Weschler is a nationally respected women’s health educator and speaker with a master’s degree in Public Health. She founded Fertility Awareness Counseling and Training Seminars (FACTS) in 1986, and has lectured at hospitals, clinics, and universities since 1982. She recently helped develop cycle-tracking software as an adjunct to her book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. The Ovusoft Fertility Software is available at Ovusoft.com. She is a frequent guest on television, radio, and Internet Web sites, where she continues to advocate the dissemination of Fertility Awareness education as an empowering body of knowledge for all women of reproductive age. She lives in Seattle, Washington. Toni Weschler is a nationally respected women’s health educator and speaker with a master’s degree in Public Health. She founded Fertility Awareness Counseling and Training Seminars (FACTS) in 1986, and has lectured at hospitals, clinics, and universities since 1982. She recently helped develop cycle-tracking software as an adjunct to her book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. The Ovusoft Fertility Software is available at Ovusoft.com. She is a frequent guest on television, radio, and Internet Web sites, where she continues to advocate the dissemination of Fertility Awareness education as an empowering body of knowledge for all women of reproductive age. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
We discussed where our knowledge/education of women’s fertility and sex came from. I mentioned that until reading this book my knowledge was probably at a 6th grade level as this is the last time I actually learned anything about the female body, and it came from the school nurse visiting our classroom.
We discussed the difference between FAM and other natural family planning practices:
Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) is the generic term used to describe all scientifically validated, natural forms of contraception. It involves the daily charting of the primary fertility signs which indicate the fertile phase surrounding ovulation. The three signs which are charted are waking temperature, cervical fluid, and cervical changes. It allows for the use of a barrier contraceptive during the woman’s fertile phase.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is virtually the same as the Fertility Awareness Method, but it requires abstinence during the fertile phase. It is typically practiced by those individuals who think of the method more as a way of life and tend to be more religious-oriented.
The Rhythm Method is an antiquated, obsolete, ineffective method of contraception which is based upon a strictly mathematical computation of the average of a woman’s past cycle lengths, with absolutely no daily observations to determine impending ovulation of each individual cycle . The Rhythm Method is the greatest obstacle to the acceptance of FAM and NFP as valid, effective methods of contraception, since it is often erroneously associated with the two, even though FAM and NFP are based upon scientifically validated principles which treat each cycle uniquely.
- We discussed the 4 clues of fertility: Menstruation, cervical fluid, waking temperature, and characteristics of the cervix.
- Not all women have a 28 day cycle- ovulating on day 14! This is a all too common misconception, still taught in regards to female fertility.
- Great information can also be found on the TCOYF site: http://www.ovusoft.com/
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
1. The novel begins and ends with scenes of kite running. Why do you think the author chooses to frame the novel with these scenes? Why is the following passage significant? “Afghans like to say: Life goes on unmindful of beginning, end… crisis or catharsis, moving forward like a slow, dusty caravan of nomads?”
2. “America had no ghosts, no memories, and no sins.” What significance does this quote have for Amir? For his father?
3. Compare and contrast the relationships of Sohrab and Amir with their fathers.
4. Discuss how the ever-changing politics of Afghanistan affects each of the characters in the novel.
5. The majority of the novel is about the relationship between Amir and Hassan. Why does Amir continue to test Hassan’s loyalty? Why does he resent Hassan? When does their “friendship” change and why?
6. As Amir remembers an Afghan celebration in which sheep must be sacrificed, he talks about seeing the sheep’s eyes moments before its death. Amir recalls this image when he witnesses what happens to Hassan and when he sees Sohrab in the home of the Taliban leader. Why is this image important?
7. Discuss the significance of Amir’s statement, “We actually deceived ourselves into thinking that a toy made of tissue paper, glue, and bamboo could somehow close the chasm between us?” How does his relationship with Baba change?
8. Why is Baba disappointed in Amir’s decision to become a writer? During their argument about his career path, Amir thinks to himself: “I would stand my ground, I decided. I didn’t want to sacrifice for Baba anymore. The last time I had done that, I had damned myself.” What has Amir sacrificed for Baba? How has Amir “damned” himself?
9. Baba and Amir are very different people. Often it disappoints both of them that Amir is not the son that Baba had hoped for. When Amir finds out that Baba has lied to him about Hassan, he realizes that “as it turned out, Baba and I were more alike than I had ever known.” How does this make Amir feel about his father? How is this both a positive and negative realization?
10. Discuss the differences between Baba and Ali, and, Amir and Hassan? How are their actions influenced by the master/servant relationship? Could they be different?
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
1. Pi believes that animals in a zoo are no worse off than animals in the wild. Do you agree with him?
2. Pi considers himself a convert to Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism. Is it possible to practice all three faiths faithfully? What is Pi’s reasoning in not choosing one?
3. Pi’s story of surviving on a lifeboat with zoo animals is rather incredible. Did the farfetched nature of the story ever bother you? Was Pi a convincing storyteller?
4. What is the significance of the floating island with the meerkats?
5. Discuss Richard Parker. What does he symbolize?
6. What is the significance of the name “Pi?”
7. What is the connection between zoology and religion in Pi’s life? Do you see connections between those fields? What do each of the fields teach us about life, survival and meaning?
8. Pi is forced to tell the shipping official a more credible story. Does his story without animals change your view of the story with animals?
9. Neither story can be proved one way or the other, so Pi asks the official which story he prefers. Which do you prefer? Which do you believe?
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
1. What was your experience reading a novel composed entirely of letters? Are there types of information or emotion that letters convey more successfully than other forms of expression? Would a novel in emails have different strengths and weaknesses?
2. What makes Sidney and Sophie ideal friends for Juliet? What common ground do they share? Do you now have or have you had people in your life who have offered similar support to you?
3. Dawsey first writes to Juliet because books are so difficult to obtain on Guernsey in the aftermath of the war. What differences do you note between bookselling in the 1940s and bookselling today? Do book lovers share common qualities across generations?
4. What were your first impressions of Dawsey? How is he different from the other men in Juliet’s life?
5. Discuss the writers who capture the hearts of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Does a reader’s taste in books reveal anything significant about his or her personality?
5. Whose lives are changed the most by their membership in the society?
6. In what ways are Juliet and Elizabeth kindred spirits? What does Elizabeth’s spontaneous invention of the Society say about her approach to life? What does her bravery reveal about it?
7. Numerous Guernsey residents give Juliet access to their private memories of the occupation. Which voices were most memorable for you? What is the effect of reading a variety of responses to a shared tragedy? 8. How does Remy’s presence enhance the lives of those on Guernsey? Through her survival, what recollections, hopes, and lessons are preserved?
9. What historical facts about life in England during World War II were you especially surprised to discover? What qualities of wartime experience are captured in a detail such as the invention of the potato peel pie? Are there ways in which fiction can provide the means for more fully understanding a historical reality?
10. Which member of the Society was your favorite? Whose literary opinions are most like your own? Do you agree with Isola that “reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones”?
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
1.Who is “the memory keeper?” How do memories move the story along? What are the different ways characters deal with rememberance and memory?
2.What was your initial reaction when David gave Phoebe away? Could you sympathize with his decision? What caused him to give her up?
3.Why do you think Caroline decided to raise Phoebe on her own? Did she do the right thing?
4.The more time passed, the harder it became for David to tell Norah the truth about Phoebe. Did her reasons for not telling her change over time? Why don’t you think he ever came clean? Did you want him to tell her? Would it have saved his marriage or destroyed it? How might it have affected Phoebe, Caroline and Al?
5.Do you think there is ever a circumstance when it is right to keep the truth from those you love?
6.Many people questioned whether Phoebe’s life would be worth living (David Henry questioned it in giving her away, the nurse who asked Caroline whether she wanted to let her die after the bee sting, other parents who would see Caroline on the playground, etc.). Contrast Phoebe’s life to Paul’s. Who was happier? Who had more opportunities? Was one of their lives more worthwhile than the other? How do we determine what lives are worth living?
7.Who was at fault in David and Norah’s marriage falling apart? Do you think their relationship would have survived if they had kept Phoebe or would raising her have caused a different kind of stress to isolate them?
8.Why do you think Caroline and Al were able to be happier than Norah and David?
9.Why does Caroline wait until David is dead to tell Norah the truth? Do you think she ever stopped loving him? Discuss the connection the shared.
10.Why does David take photographs? What do they represent? Can you sympathize with his desire to immortalize a moment?
11.Why does David feel comfortable telling Rosemary all his secrets? How does he change after meeting her?
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
1. Why do you think most people believe that life goes on even after death?
2. What did you think of What Dreams May Come’s picture of the afterlife? What did you like? What intrigued you? What bothered you about the vision of the afterlife that What Dreams May Come presented?
3. Suicide has always had a certain stigma around it and Catholic doctrine teaches that those who commit suicide go to Hell. Why do you think this is?
4. There are a lot of ideas about what the afterlife really is. One of the quotes from the movie about Hell is fascinating: “The real Hell is your life gone wrong.” Did any quotes from the movie or ideas resonate with your ideas of what Heaven and Hell might really be like?
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
1.Reread the prologue to My Sister’s Keeper. Who is speaking? Is that who you thought was speaking the first time you read it?
2.My Sister’s Keeper is told from many different viewpoints. Why do you think Jodi Picoult wrote it this way? How did hearing from each character change your opinions of them and of the situation?
3.Do you think Sara is a good mother? Do you sympathize with her? How does her martyrdom affect the rest of the family?
4.Discuss the consequences of the trial other than the ruling. In what ways does it force people to deal with issues in their relationships? Sara and Brian? Anna and her parents? Julia and Campbell?
5.Why does Jesse burn things? Is Jesse the opposite of his firefighter father or are they similar? In what ways?
6.Discuss the ways each family member copes with their situation. How are each of their identities affected by Kate? How does this affect Kate?
7.Why did Kate ask Anna to sue for medical emancipation? Was Anna right to listen to her wishes?
8.Do you think it is ethical to have a “designer baby” like Anna was?
9.The epilogue talks about how the family moved on. How did they grieve? How did they survive? In what ways did Anna give life back to all of them, not just Kate?
Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox