Discussion Guide - The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

Characters

Denny Swift Eve Zoe Enzo Eve’s parents: Trish and Maxwell (The Twins) Friends – Mike and Tony Annika Lawyer – Mark The evil zebra

 

For discussion:

1.   What was your favorite scene in the novel?

2.   Did you like the technique of making Enzo be the narrator?  Would the story have worked if the narrator was one of the humans?

3.   Do you think dogs or other animals can really understand humans and have the desire to communicate with them? 

4.   Discuss Enzo’s more human characteristics.

a.       His feelings after Eve died (and his animal reaction of chasing and eating the squirrel ) [page 165]

b.      Advising people to learn to listen (page 102)

5.   Can dogs and other animals sense things that humans cannot?  Enzo smelled Eve’s cancer well before anyone made a diagnosis.

6.   What did you think of Enzo’s description of communication, “…there are so many moving parts.  There’s presentation and there’s interpretation and they’re so dependent on each other it makes things very difficult.”  (page 5) Was this a good analysis?

7.  What did you think about Enzo’s analysis of his death?  He said about Denny, “He needs me to free him to be brilliant.”  (page 5) 

8.   The author wrote, “A true hero is flawed.  The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles – preferably of his own making – in order to triumph.”  (page 135)  Do you agree?  What do you think about the obstacles “being of his own making?”  Can you name anyone who you think is a hero?  Does he or she fit this description?

9.   About a champion, he wrote “It makes one realize that the physicality of our world is a boundary to us only if our will is weak; a true champion can accomplish things that a normal person would think impossible.”  (page 65)  Do you agree?

10.One of Denny’s favorite statements was “…that which we manifest is before us.”  (page 43)  What did he mean?  Do you agree?

11.The author stated that women and dogs feel pain the same (“tap directly into the pain” page 62) whereas men “are all filters and deflectors and timed release.”  (page 63)  Is this an accurate description?  Do you think there is a difference in how men, women and dogs experience pain?

12.  Regarding the evil zebra, at the end Enzo realizes that the zebra is, “not something outside of us.  The zebra is something inside of us.  Our fears.  Our own self-destructive nature.  The zebra is the worst part of us when we are face-to-face with our worst times.  The demon is us!”  (page 264)  Do you agree?  Can you think of any examples from other books you have read where the characters were their own worst enemies?

13. There were many comments in the book about life in general.  What comparisons were made between driving a race car and life?  Can you add others?

Discussion Guide - Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

For the College Reading and Learning Association, One Book-One Conference, 2010

People, places, theories and events
Introduction – The Roseto Mystery
Roseto, Italy to Bangor, Pennsylvania
Part One – Opportunity	Part Two - Legacy
Chapter One – The Matthew Effect Canadian hockey players and birthdates	Chapter Six – Harlan, Kentucky The Howards and the Turners Culture of honor Experiment conducted on culture of honor at Univ. of Michigan by Cohen and Nisbett
Chapter Two – The 10,000 Rule Bill Joy – rewrote UNIX The Beatles – Hamburg, Germany Bill Gates Seventy-five all time richest people – 14 from America born between 1834 – 1840 Silicon Valley entrepreneurs –  1953 - 1956	Chapter Seven – The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes Korean Air flight 801 – August 1997 Mitigated Speech Hofstede’s Dimensions – individualism-collectivism scale Power Distance Index (PDI)
Chapter Three – The Trouble with Geniuses, Part I Christopher Langan Lewis Terman and his Termites	Chapter Eight – Rice Paddies and Math Tests Rice paddies and rice farmers Western agriculture – machine oriented; Rice farming – skill oriented Characteristics of work of rice farmer: 1.)connection between work and reward, 2.) complex work, and 3.) autonomous Positive correlation between willingness to work and math success
Chapter Four – The Trouble with Geniuses, Part 2 Chris Langan and family background Robert Oppenheimer and family background Practical intelligence Parenting philosophies – concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth	Chapter Nine – Marita’s Bargain KIPP Academy
Chapter Five – The Three Lessons of Joe Flom Joe Flom – lawyer Lesson One: The Importance of Being Jewish Lesson Two: Demographic Luck Lesson Three: The Garment Industry and Meaningful Work Louis and Regina Borgenicht and family tree
Epilogue
Daisy and Donald Nation, Faith and Joyce, Malcolm

For discussion:

1.      1.  Malcolm Gladwell explains outliers as being the result of opportunity and cultural legacy.  Do you agree?  Are there other factors?

2.     2.  In chapter two, Gladwell proposes that after basic ability, time on task is what makes the difference.  Is there an example from your life that confirms this idea?  How does this relate to our jobs in education?

3.       3. Discuss the importance of opportunity to the success of outliers.  What unusual and/or extraordinary opportunities did you have?

4.     4.  In Chapter Four, Gladwell writes about “practical intelligence.”   How can we help developmental students learn this knowledge?

5.       5. Discuss the two parenting philosophies discussed in chapter 4: concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth.  How were you raised?  How have you raised your children?  Have you seen any examples of these two styles when working with your students?

6.       6. Discuss the idea of “meaningful work” in chapter five.  As educators, we definitely feel we are doing “meaningful work.”  How has this affected your family and yourself?

7.       7. Discuss conversation within different cultural contexts, specifically transmitter orientation (responsibility of speaker to be clear and concise) and receiver orientation (responsibility of listener to understand what is being communicated).  How can this be a factor in classroom communication?

8.       8. In chapter nine, Gladwell states that our academic year is based on the theory that the mind needs to rest and that is mirrors the American agricultural year.   Contrast this to the Asian nations’ year-round work ethic.  Do you think Gladwell’s references to American farming and Chinese rice farming valid?

9.       9. Discuss Chris Langan and Robert Oppenheimer’s experiences in college.

a.       How do their different experiences relate to their backgrounds?

b.      What would have happened to Langan at your institution?

c.       How can we help our students navigate and work within the system?

10.   10. Are there other factors that contribute to success that Gladwell didn’t consider?

Discussion Guide - Nickel and Dimed

Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Chapter and Location	People and employment
#1 – Serving in Florida	Hearthside: Billy – cook Gail – waitress and trainer Lionel – Haitian busboy Phillip – top manager Stu – assistant manager Jerry’s (waitress): Vic – assistant manager George – 19-year-old Czech dishwasher Jerry’s motel (housekeeping)
#2 – Scrubbing in Maine	Woodcrest Residential Facility – dietary aid The Maids: Ted Holly – ill, injured on job
#3 – Selling in Minnesota	Menard’s Hardware Wal-Mart

For discussion:

1.    Discuss the importance of transportation to job opportunities.  Did transportation issues play a role in your job choice?

2.    Review the author’s various housing locations.  What worked and what didn’t.  Would you be able to adapt?

3.    Discuss people’s reaction to those employed in minimum wage jobs.  For example, review the discussion on pages 99 – 100 about how cleaning people are viewed by others.

4.    The author was faced with several incidents where she had to make a decision to act or not.  Why do you think she reacted the way she did in each instance?  What do you think she should or could have done?

a.    In chapter 1 when George was accused of stealing supplies (pages 40 & 41)

b.    In chapter 2, when Holly fell and was injured

5.    Also in chapter 2, why do you think Ted’s approval means so much?

6.    Review the hiring process described on pages 149.  How is this different from the hiring process for your current job?  How does this process play into the entire minimum wage culture?

a.    Discuss the real reason behind pre-employment tests.  (See page 59.)

7.    She lists several consequences of working minimum wage jobs.  Do you see how this can happen?  Why?

a.    Page 106 – “tunnel vision,” work issues loom larger than life

b.    Page 117 – “…feel like a pariah.”

8.    On page 177 she describes a theory that women shoppers like to shop because they can “behave like brats” and have someone else pick up after them.  Do you agree or not?  Why?

9.    In the second-to-last section, “Evaluation,” review why minimum wage workers do not either demand higher pay or leave for a better paying job (pages 204 - 210).  Are you able to understand this reasoning?

10.  What did you learn from this book?  Do you now view minimum wage earners differently than before?

Discussion Guide - The Help

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

Characters
Employers	The Help
Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan Carlton Sr. Charlotte Carlton Jr.	Constantine Lulabelle – daughter, passed for white
Hilly Holbrook William	Yule Mae – jailed for stealing ring, two sons going to college
Miss Walters – Hilly’s mother	Minny
Elizabeth Leefolt Raleigh Mae Mobley Li’l Man	Aibileen Treelore – son killed in work accident
Celia Foote Johnny	Minny Leroy – husband
Lou Anne Templeton	Louvenia Robert – grandson, beaten and blinded for using white restroom by mistake
Whitworths Francine and Senator Stuart
Elaine Stein, editor

For discussion:

1. Discuss how the white people could be so blind to the situations and lives of their colored employees.  In many cases they thought they were being kind and helpful.
2. How was it possible that Elizabeth Leefolt did not recognize herself in the book?
3. Some people appreciated their help (Lou Anne Templeton) and others did not (Hilly Holbrook).  What do you think made the difference?
4. Do you think Skeeter really understood the danger to the other women?  Do you think she was selfish or courageous?
5. What was Skeeter’s motivation, to help or to write a good story?  Did it change as she got more involved in the project?
6. Discuss Skeeter’s growing awareness as the book progressed.  On page 154 of the hardback, she worries about her past behavior and comments, “…never suspecting the help was listening or cared.”
7. Discuss Constantine and Lulabelle.  Given the culture of the times, can you rationalize or excuse the actions of Skeeter’s mother?   If she thought she did the proper thing, why did she not tell Skeeter?
8. Compare the groups’ treatment of Celia to the way they treated their maids.  What was similar and what was different?
9. What did you think of the relationship among Elizabeth Leefolt, Aibileen, and Mae Mobley?
10. On page 188 of the hardback the author describes a white woman’s revenge.  Do you think this is true now?  Have you ever felt like taking revenge on someone or experienced this?
11. Discuss Leroy’s abuse of Minny throughout the book and Minny’s courage at the end. 
12. How did Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny grow throughout the novel?  How did their lives change?  What do you think happened to them?
13. What was your favorite incident in the book?

Reading Guide: Nickel and Dimed

Reading Guide for

Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich

 

Before you read:
• Think about your previous work experiences.
• How much did you earn? What were you responsible for purchasing with your earnings?
• Think about the people you worked with. Were any of them supporting themselves on the same wage you were earning?
 • Vocabulary - Before you read, be sure you know the meaning of the following:
o Page 2 – autonomy, autonomous
o Page 8 – ineradicably
o Page 14 – surfeit
o Page 18 – vulnerable, vulnerability; nurturance; plurality
o Page 26 – solipsism
o Page 75 – cineast
o Page 137 – unctuous
o Page 157 - apotheosis

Introduction: Getting Ready
As you read, look for:

• The author’s three rules as she undertook this project.
• The limits she imposed
• How was the author different from the others working in these situations?

 Chapter One: Serving in Florida
As you read, look for:

• Her job search process
• Hearthside
• Her feelings about the customers that she served
• Her interpretation of the manager’s job
• Jerry’s
• Why many of the servers smoke
• The psychological “flow state”
• Housekeeping at the hotel connected to Jerry’s

Think about:
On page 27 she wrote, “In poverty, as in certain propositions in physics, starting conditions are everything.”

• What does this sentence mean?
• How do the following examples explain it in reference to poverty and homelessness?

 Chapter Two: Scrubbing in Maine

As you read, look for:

• Pre-employment tests – different types, types of questions, purposes
• Duties as Dietary Aid in Woodcrest Residential Facility
• The Maids – duties, co-workers
• Ted’s approval – why it is important to the workers

Think about:
On pages 109 – 114 Holly gets injured and refuses to take any action. Why?

• Should the author have handled this differently?
• What would you do?

 Chapter Three: Selling in Minnesota
As you read, look for:

• Budgie and her friend’s apartment
• Caroline’s story
• Why the author chooses Wal-Mart over Menards
• Duties as a Wal-Mart Associate
• The psychology behind the hiring process
• Housing issues in Minnesota
• Why people stay at their jobs and not question the pay

 Evaluation
As you read, look for:

•  What she learned about surviving and succeeding in the jobs she experienced
•  The connection between success at work and success managing day-to-day life
•  Low income housing crisis
•  Why workers do not demand higher wages and do not switch to better paying jobs
•  How employers work to keep wages low

Afterword: Nickel and Dimed

As you read, look for:

•  Reactions to the book
•  Progress or lack-of-progress for low-wage earners since 2001

For reflection and discussion:

• Explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 edition, online. Look at various jobs and their educational and skill requirements, average wages, etc.
• What have you learned through reading this book about the world of work?
• What successes did the author have during this endeavor? What failures? Do you think there was anything she should have done differently?
• How do you think she would have survived if this was really her life?