Hellhound on His Trail, by Hampton Sides

Characters
SCLC	FBI	Others
Martin Luther King Coretta – wife Ralph Abernathy Andrew Young Jesse Jackson	J. Edgar Hoover Clyde Tolson – Life-long friend and 2nd in command Cartha D. DeLoach – 3rd in command Robert Jensen – FBI agent in Memphis	Prisoner #416-J a.k.a. Eric Starvo Galt a.k.a. James Earl Ray a.k.a. Ramon George Sneyd George Wallace Memphis Sanitation Workers Alexander Eist – guard in London jail Arthur Hanes – Ray’s U.S. lawyer Ray’s family: Jimmy, Jerry and John – brothers – all felons Marjorie – burned to death playing with matches Max –mentally disabled Susie – given up for adoption Lucille –mother – cirrhosis of liver Melba – mentally ill Buzzy – died in car accident Father – recluse in Missouri

For discussion:

NOTE:  All pages refer to the paperback edition of the book.

1.      Do you think MLK had an actual premonition of his death or was just being dramatic and knew that was a possibility? (page 218)

2.      Compare Coretta King with Jackie Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy.

 3.      Considering James Earl Ray:

a.       What was his main motive in life?

b.      Discuss his skill at breaking out of prison.

c.       Why did he close his eyes in the graduation photo?

d.      Why was Galt/Ray so interested in hypnotism?

e.       Why did he have his nose redone?

f.       Given his family background, do you think anything could have been done to help him and his siblings grow up differently and be productive citizens? (pages 336 & 337)

g.      Compare Ray’s life of multigenerational poverty with MLK’s Poor People’s Campaign. (page 336)

4.      Discuss the FBI under Hoover and the tactics used to follow criminals and regular citizens.

5.      Were you surprised by the SCLC leaders’ attitude after the assassination and the fact that they were not that interested in finding the individual killer but rather about the attitude in the country that wanted MLK dead?  (page 249)

6.      Did the fact that MLK openly had mistresses affect your opinion of him and his work?

a.       Did Coretta know?   If so, how did she deal with this knowledge?

b.      Consider MLK and Coretta’s marriage.   He was never home and had not provided for his family in the event of his death.

7.      What were your thoughts while reading this book?

a.       Did you enjoy it?

b.      Was it well written?

c.       What surprised you?

d.      Did you learn anything?

The Story of Charlotte's Web, by Michael Sims

Characters
E.B. White’s Life	Charlotte’s Web
Elwyn B. White (Andy) Katharine Angell Joel – son Roger – Katharine’s son Nancy – Katharine’s daughter Harold Ross – The New Yorker Ursula Nordstrom – editor Don Marquis – author Archy (cockroach) and Mehitabel (cat) – characters Garth Williams – illustrator Mary and Robert Gallant – bought the White’s farm	Charlotte Wilbur Templeton Goose Fern Avery – older brother Mr. Arable – father Mr. Zuckerman – Fern’s uncle, owns farm where Wilbur raised

For discussion:

1. Discuss White’s skill with the written word compared to his awkwardness with speaking his feelings.  He often wrote to Katharine to express his feelings instead of speaking directly to her.  These writings often were from an animal’s point of view.
1. Page 119 of hardback – letter from Daisy (family dog)  about Andy’s feelings about Katharine’s pregnancy
2. Page 117 of hardback – compared spider’s web to his connection with Katharine

2. How did White’s interest and fascination with animals influence his writing?

3. Discuss White’s portrayal of the animals and their thoughts in Charlotte’s Web.  For example:
1. Templeton, the rat, always was self serving and only helped others when it benefited him
2. Charlotte’s acceptance of death as a natural part of life

4. Do you think the concept of death was presented in a way appropriate for children?

5. Could you understand his feelings of duplicity when he took good care of his animals but then planned to slaughter one for food?

6. On page 203 (hardback) Sims wrote that the theme of Charlotte’s Web was “the joy of being alive, of reveling in the moment with visceral attention”.  Do you agree?  Were they any other themes you found in the book?  Anything you learned from reading Charlotte’s Web or the biography of E. B. White?

7. Discuss Ursula Nordstrom’s dedication to children’s literature and the importance she placed on the genre.
1. She was insulted when offered a new job in the adult section as a promotion.
2. Discuss her influence through the authors she edited: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Shel Silverstein, Maurice Sendak, Margaret Wise Brown, Margaret and H. A. Rey.

8. Discuss the influence of Don Marquis on E. B. White’s writing career.

9. What incidents or information from E. B. White’s life did you connect with when reading the book?

10. What is your favorite or most remembered childhood book?

Change of Heart, by Jodie Picoult

Characters
	Prison
June Kurt Nealon Elizabeth Claire Shay Bourne  (I. M. Bourne) Grace - sister Maggie Bloom –ACLU lawyer Mother – spa owner, ChutZpah Father – rabbi Christian Gallagher – doctor, Maggie’s boyfriend Father Michael Mather Walter Ian Fletcher – scholar, converted atheist Reverend Justus	Shay Lucius – AIDS Crash Calloway – bird, Batman and Robin CO Smythe CO Whitaker Warden Coyne Alma - nurse

For discussion:

1.      Discuss the characters.

a.       Did the author do a good job of developing the characters?

b.      Which character did you connect with? 

c.       Discuss Maggie and her issues with her body.   Was that realistic?  Were you dismayed to read that she was a size 14?

2.      What did you think of the “miracles” that Shay performed in prison?

a.       CO Smythe’s daughter and teddy bear filled with peanut shells

b.      The bubble gum

c.       Batman and Robin

d.      Lucius being healed temporarily

e.       At the trial – handcuffs and chains falling off still locked

3.      Do you think Father Michael should have revealed immediately that he had been on the jury?

a.       He felt guilty about sentencing Shay to death.  Do you think he should have felt so or not?

4.      Do you think a religious person would read this book differently than a non-religious person?

5.      How did Father Michael’s photo of he and his grandfather end up in Shay’s effects?  Do you think Shay recognized him all along?

6.      When did you start to suspect that Shay was not guilty of both murders?  That something else had happened?

7.      Did you like the ending when Claire’s touch revived her dog?  Was that a fitting ending?

8.      When Maggie first went to visit Shay in prison, she wondered “what would be the hardest luxury to leave behind.”  For Shay it was walking barefoot on grass.  What would you miss the most?