At Kathy's, discussing Malala

Malala -discussion questions

1. Would you have had the bravery that Malala exhibited and continues to exhibit?

2. Talk about the role of Malala's parents, especially her father, Ziauddin. If you were her parents, would you have encouraged her to write and speak out?

3. How does Malala describe the affect of the growing Taliban presence in her region? Talk about the rules they imposed on the citizens in the Swat valley. What was life like?

4. Mala has said that despite the Taliban's restrictions against girls/women, she remains a proud believer. Would you—could you—maintain your faith given those same

restrictions?

5. Talk about the reaction of the international community after Malala's shooting. Has the outrage made a difference...has it had any effect?

6. What can be done about female education in the Middle East and places like Pakistan? What are the prospects? Can one girl, despite her worldwide fame, make a difference?

Why does the Taliban want to prevent girls from acquiring an education—how do they see the female role? *

7. Talk about the Taliban's power in the Muslim world. Why does it continue to grow and attract followers...or is it gaining new followers? What attraction does it have for Muslim

men? Can it ever be defeated?

8. Do you agree with Malala that “terror can make people cruel?” Consider historical examples in defending your thoughts.

9. In Part three, we are told of the clandestine operation by the Americans, resulting in the killing of Osama Bin Laden. What are your reactions to the Pakistani view of the events? What reasons do they have to be distrustful of the Americans? What reasons do the Americans have to be distrustful of the Pakistani people? What solutions do you see? Do you think that peace can ever be achieved? If so, what steps need to be taken?

10. In Part Four we are told that the Taliban targeted then fourteen-year-old Malala “because of her primary role in preaching secularism…promoting Western culture…speaking against the Taliban…calling President Obama her idol.” What do you think they hoped to accomplish in the death of this young girl? What might this suggest about the Taliban and their motives?

11. Malala recognizes in Part five that in shooting her, the Taliban made her story global. In what ways did their plan backfire? What things does Malala report are now happening because of her story? What do you see in Malala’s future? In Pakistan’s future? Do you think one girl can make a difference?

12. Malala speaks often of her faith in God. In the middle sections of the book she mourns the killing of Christians by the Taliban, and the loss of the Buddhist histories destroyed by the Taliban. Towards the end of her story, and during her recovery, she speaks of the faith of her family. How can we reconcile something as precious as one’s faith within the turmoil caused in the name of religion? How is it that things so precious to mankind can be turned against it?

13. Do you agree with Malala that books and pens are our most valuable weapons? Explain your thoughts.

14. Study the photographs in the back of the book. Which ones stand out to you and why? Which do you think best complement Malala’s story?

15. Do you think Malala and her family will ever return to Swat? If so what do you think their lives will be like?

16. Even though Malala has received countless letters of support, she has also received messages of hate. Some from her homeland have even accused her family of setting up the entire incident to allow them to live and study abroad. Malala says that she does not blame them, as they have seen so much corruption and distrust. How is it that a girl who loves vampires, gossip, and fighting with her best friend, can also show such maturity.

Questions from Lit Lovers and J.E. Byrne's website

At Jackie's February 2014

Wool -discussion questions

Wool Questions

1.Wool follows several characters over the course of its five sections, with Sheriff Holston, Mayor Jahns, and Juliette playing the largest roles. Who did you sympathize with the most? Who do you feel you resemble most?

 2.Although Sheriff Holston is one of the most important characters in the book in terms of story, we don’t spend nearly as much time with him as we do the others. Were there other characters you wished you could have gotten to know better? Why?

 3.One of the most exciting things about reading Wool is coming to understand exactly how the Silo operates. Was there a moment when the logic of the Silo’s society clicked for you? What was it? Looking back, were there hints that you missed?

 4.Even though the Silo is the only environment the characters have ever known, some of the values of our world seem to linger in the world of Wool, as characters derive status from their proximity to the top of the Silo, complain of the claustrophobic environment, and go to great lengths for a view of the outdoors. Do you think these are reflections of innate human values? Or do you think eventually humans could fully adapt to such an environment?

 5.When Jahns is convincing Jules to take up the Sheriff’s badge, Jules claims, “I don’t think you get what a mess we’d be in without these machines.” To which Jahns replies “And I don’t think you get how pointless these machines are going to become without all these people.” (p. 103) How does this conversation reflect the larger problems of the Silo? Are the costs necessary to keep the Silo going worth their impact on the quality of life? How much sacrifice is too much?

6.Why do you think the rules of the Silo are designed the way they are? What are they designed to help, and what are they designed to hinder? What do the rules tell you about the ultimate goal of the Silo?

7.Both Peter Billings and Lukas Kyle struggle with their roles in the Silo, as the story progresses. Although they initially do their best to maintain the status quo, they eventually work against the roles they’ve been chosen for. What do you make of these transitions? What do you think led them to rebel against the system instead of going along with it? Why do you think they went along with it in the first place? Was it merely fear, or something more?

8.Peter realizes that he has a choice between doing what is expected of him and doing what is right. Can you relate this decision to any other situation in the book?

9.Section four of the book “The Unraveling” is full of references to, and epigrams from, Romeo and Juliet (referred to here as The Tragic Historye of Romeus and Juliette). What comparison can you make between the two stories? Why do you think the author chose this story in particular? With so few products of culture permissible in the Silo, why do you think Romeo and Juliet has been allowed to survive?

10.Why do you think the information in the Legacy has to be hidden? Would you hide it, or share it?

11.Because the Legacy is hidden, the residents do not have access to their own history, beyond the myths they are told. The frequent erasures of knowledge banks (as after an uprising) compound this problem. How does this effect the lives of the residents of the Silo? How might an even slightly larger historical understanding change their decisions?

 12.Why do you think IT has the power, access, and knowledge that they do? Why not some other department? Why not the Mayor?

13.One of the strengths of Wool is that beyond imagining a new world, it allows us to see our own with new eyes. Do you think Wool has symbolic lessons for our contemporary lives? What aspects of modern society might you perceive differently after reading Wool l?

 14.Compare the conversations that Juliette has with Lukas and Peter on pages 531-532 with the conversations that Bernard and Lukas have about the Legacy and the Order. Do you think Juliette’s proposal would work? Or do you think that the darker view of humanity that Bernard represents is more sustainable?

 15.Juliette is viewed as a symbol of the uprising. Do you think an uprising would have occurred without her? Who else could have been a figurehead for it?

 16.Juliette is an inspirational female character in the novel. What other strong women appear in the story and how do they gain or use their power?

 17.Although Wool does answer many of the questions raised in the first few sections, there are many that remain a mystery—what lingering questions do you still have about the world of Wool? What are your speculations about the origins and destiny of the community of the Silo?

18.One of the questions that is never fully answered in the book is the central question of the Silo: Why do those condemned to the outside always (or very-nearly-almost-always) clean the sensors on the cameras?

Buckingham Palace Gardens - discussion questions

“Buckingham Palace Gardens” by Anne Perry

Perry is a prolific writer of historical and Victorian-era mysteries, most of which feature either Thomas and Charlotte Pitt or William Monk. BUCKINGHAM PALACE GARDENS is her 25th novel with the Pitts.

1.     The plot involves finding the body of a prostitute in the linen closet at Buckingham Palace. Was this a little bit too shocking for you? 

2.     The list of suspects includes four proper couples as well as all of
the household and personal servants. The Queen is traveling abroad,
so the Prince and Princess of Wales are left to entertain four
couples at Buckingham Palace and talk about railroad project in Africa.  After the body was discovered, did you suspect that the murder may perhaps something to do the Africa’s mission?

3.     What do you think about agent Thomas Pitt of the Special Services branch?  Police labor force in Victorian time was drawn primary from the ranks of the semi-skilled and unskilled people. Is Pitt taken seriously by the affluent businessman and the Price of Wales?

4.     The story and investigation take a significant turn when the wife
of one of the gentlemen turns up dead in the same manner as the
butchered prostitute. Clues point to the husband of the victim.  Did you suspect Julius Sorokine to be the murderer?

5.     Which characters did you think committed the crime? Did you believe Cahoon Dunkel to be the killer before the end?

6.     Pitts’ wife, Charlotte (née Ellison), comes from an upper-class family.  She has married beneath her position and can no longer take part in society events.  Emily’s great aunt by marriage Vespasia Cumming-Gould.  Aunt Vespasia is an elderly woman who has aged gracefully and has friends and acquaintances in the upper levels of society and even in the nobility.  Did her connections help Thomas in solving the murder?

7.     What do you think about Gracie, the Pitts’s diminutive maid?  Pitts enlist her help to discover the gossip among the palace servants.  Did she fulfill her role?  Was this task not too dangerous for an ordinary maid?

8.      In many British novels portraying his period, we see very clear cuts between the “Upstairs, Downstairs” class dramas.  Did you like the way Ann Perry depicted both groups?  Which were more interesting, passages involving the “downstairs” group of servants or the passages involving the
“upstairs” suspects?

9.     What did you learn about the Victorian England you didn’t know? How the time period influences the characters’ actions and beliefs?

10.                         Do you agree that uniqueness of this book may be attributed to skilful character development, engaging plot, and details about the residence of the British royal family?

11.                        After reading  “Buckingham Palace Gardens” would you be interested in reading  more books by Ann Perry?

Discussion at Joanna's

Fault in Our Stars- discussion questions

1. John Green derives his book's title from a famous line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." (I,ii,139-140). What does the line mean—and why would Green have used it for his title? Even more important, why would he have altered it to read, "The fault in our stars" rather than ourselves? How does Green's meaning differ from Shakespeare's?

2. How would you describe the two main characters, Hazel and Gus? Do either of them conform, in behavior or thinking, to what we normally associate with young cancer patients? How do the two differ from one another...and how do their personality traits and interests complement each other?

3. How do Hazel and Gus each relate to their cancer? Do they define themselves by it?  Do they ignore it? Do they rage at life's unfairness? Most importantly, how do the two confront the big questions of life and death?

4. Do you find some of the descriptions of pain, the medical realities that accompany cancer, or the discussion of bodily fluids too graphic?

5. At one point, Hazel says, "Cancer books suck." Is this a book about cancer? Did you have trouble picking up the book to read it? What were you expecting? Were those expectations met...or did the book alter your ideas?

5. John Green uses the voice of an adolescent girl to narrate his story. Does he do a convincing job of creating a female character?

7. Hazel considers An Imperial Affliction "so special and rare that advertising your affection for it feels like a betrayal." Why is it Hazel's favorite book? Why is it so important that she and Gus learn what happens after its heroine dies? Have you ever felt the same way about a book as Hazel does—that it is too special to talk about?

8. What do you think about Peter Van Houten, the fictional author of An Imperial Affliction? This book's real author, John Green, has said that Van Houten is a "horrible, horrible person but I have an affection for him." Why might Green have said that? What do you think of Van Houten?

9. Green once served as a chaplain in a children's hospital, working with young cancer patients. In an interview, he referred to the "hero's journey within illness"—that "in spite of it, you pull yourself up and continue to be alive while you're alive." In what way does Green's comment apply to his book—about two young people who are dying? Is theirs a hero's journey? Is the "pull yourself up" phrase an unseemly statement by someone, like the author or any reader, who is not facing a terminal disease?

10. What did you make of the book's humor? Is it appropriate...or inappropriate? Green has said he "didn't want to use humor to lighten the mood" or "to pull out the easy joke" when things got hard. But, he said, he likes to write about "clever kids, [and they] tend to be funny even when things are rough." Is his use of humor successful? How did it affect the way you read the book?

11. After his chaplaincy experience, Green said he believed that "life is utterly random and capricious, and arbitrary." Yet he also said, after finishing The Fault in Our Stars that he no longer feels that life's randomness "robs human life of its meaning...or that it robs even lives of people who don't get to have full lives." Would you say that the search for meaning—even, or especially, in the face of dying—is what this book explores? Why...or why not?

12. How do Hazel and Gus change, in spirit, over the course of the novel?

13. Talk about how you experienced this book? Is it too sad, too tragic to contemplate? Or did you find it in some way uplifting?