Daughter of Fortune, by Isabel Allende

Characters
Chile	California
Eliza Sommers – abandoned at birth and taken in by Sommers family, John’s daughter Rose – wrote erotic novels Jeremy John – sailor Mama Fresia – cook for Sommers family Jacob Todd – came to Chile to sell 300 bibles on a bet Tao Chi’en – Eliza’s friend and sage Lin – wife, deceased Karl Bretzner – Rose’s lover at age 16, opera singer Feliciano Rodriguez de Santa Cruz Paulina – wife Joaquin Andieta – poor intellectual, romanced Eliza	Eliza > impersonating as either a Chinese boy or Elias Andieta, Joaquin’s brother Joaquin Andieta > Joaquin Murieta (Mexican) Jacob Todd > Jacob Freemont – reporter and writer Feliciano Rodriguez de Santa Cruz – 1848-1849 went to California to mine gold > Felix Cross Paulina – wife – started steamship line and delivered fresh food from Chile Tao Chi’en Dr. Ebanizer Hobbs – English Azuncena Placeres – prostitute on ship Joe Bonecrusher - madam Babalu the Bad Four “doves”

For Discussion:

Note: Page number are from the paperback edition.

1. Joaquin repeated with Eliza exactly what disgraced his own mother.  Why did he not see this pattern?
2. Did you like the very frequent foreshadowing?  Some examples are:
1. Page 80: “Many years later, standing before a human head preserved in a jar of gin, Eliza would remember that first meeting with Joaquin…”
2. Page 66: “…many years later, on the other side of the world, he [Tao] could still smell candles.”
3. Page 108: “Later, when for years Eliza would follow Joaquin Andieta’s faint trail…”
4. Page 109: “It would be several years before she [Eliza] began to record her Wednesday rendezvous in those pages.”
3. Were you surprised about the changes in the characters once they arrived in California?  For example, both Jacob Todd and Joaquin Andieta seemed to reinvent themselves.
4. In my book group, many members thought Joaquin Andieta had died and that Joaquin Murieta was a different person.  What do you think?
5. Tao Chi’en seemed to be the only person who stayed the same between Chile and California.  Why?
6. Were you surprised to read that Eliza was John’s daughter?
7. Were you surprised to find out that Rose was writing the erotic novels John was selling?
8. On page 228, what did you think of the characterizations of the different nationalities: “Americans were short on patience: they didn’t know how to work as a team and were defeated by greed and a lack of discipline. Mexicans and Chileans knew about mining, but the squandered their earnings.  Oregonians and Russians wasted time fighting and drinking.  The Chinese, on the other hand, got ahead however poor their beginnings because they were frugal…”
9. Discuss the various characters.   What were the positive and negative characteristics of each?  

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.

No One Ever Asked, by Katie Ganshert

REVIEW:  This is really an enthralling book and I thoroughly enjoyed the reading experience.  The author expertly met the goal of helping the reader see people from their different perspectives and increasing empathy for those in different situations.   Besides the main issue of race, another important idea I felt the book addressed was the idea that everyone has struggles – no one has the “perfect life” we see on the surface.  The only reason I did not give the book five stars was because its “after life” was not as positive as the reading experience itself.  As I reflected on the book after I had finished, it seemed that there were so many issues (marital difficulties, guns, diabetes, adoption, etc.) that it was overwhelming.  I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review.

Characters
Crystal Ridge Schools	From South Fork School
Camille Gray Neil – husband Children – Taylor, Austin, Paige Kathleen – Camille’s friend Rick – husband Children – Cody, Bennett, Dane Jen Covington – high school nurse Nick – husband Jubilee – adopted daughter, age 7 Branden – Jen’s brother, drug addict Leif Royce Children – Gavin (2nd grade), Derek (high school) Kyle Davis – Anaya’s supervising teacher Juanita Fine	Anaya Jones – second grade teacher at Crystal Ridge and high school girls’ track coach Darius – brother Marcus – boy friend Edison – Austin’s school friend, chess player Tamika Harris – mother

For Discussion:

Note: Because the book I read was an Uncorrected Proof Copy, quotations are referenced with the chapter where they are found.

1. In chapter 9, Anya reflects on a saying of her father, “Good news, bad news.  Who’s to say?”  Do you think this is a true statement?  Were there examples of this saying in the novel?
2. When Camille was thinking about her marriage in chapter 10, she realized that she, “…had taken her marriage for granted, and things taken for granted were all too easily neglected.”  Did you think this was part of the reason why Neil left?  Do you think this is a true statement?
3. How well did you think the author presented the issues involved in combining two very different school districts in terms of race as well as money?  Did she present both sides of the conflict equally well?
4. Discuss Jen and her reaction to motherhood that was so different from what she expected.   Do you think her reactions were realistic?   Was there anything she could have done differently?
5. The author is a white woman and the mother of a black daughter (Author’s Note).  How well do you think she addressed the difficulties Jen faced raising Jubilee?
6. This book tackled very serious and controversial issues in our society.  One was the use of the “N” word.  In chapters 32 and 34 the characters discussed two different uses of that word, one as an extreme insult and one as a sign of solidarity.  What did you think about this? 
7. Also in the “Author’s Note” she wrote about the power of a story.  Through a story, “We get to put on someone else’s skin and walk a mile in their shoes, which makes it the best possible breeding ground for empathy.”  Do you agree?  Can you think of a book that helped you understand someone else?  Did this book fulfill that goal?
8. In chapter 34, Paige was asking Camille if she liked people with brown skin and Camille replied, “I don’t care about skin color.  It’s what’s in a person’s heart that matters.”  She then told Paige that the controversy with combining the two school districts had nothing to do with color.  Do you think Camille believed what she was saying?   Did she change her mind throughout the course of the novel?
9. In chapter 56, Jen realized that she always thought Camille’s life was perfect, but then she came to understand that everyone had struggles in life.  Why was this an important realization for her?  Do you think this is magnified in our world today with Facebook and other ways we share our lives?
10. Discuss Camille, Jen and Anaya.  Were their lives and challenges realistically portrayed?  Were you able to emphasize with them?
11. What purpose did the character Juanita Fine play in the novel?
12. Discuss your reading experience both as you were reading and after you had finished the book.

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.

Everybody's Fool, by Richard Russo

Characters
Townspeople	Officials	Locations
Beryl Peoples - high school English teacher, deceased Clive Jr. – son, started Ultimate Escape Fun Park, then left town when it failed Rub Squeers Bootsie - wife Donald Sullivan “Sully” – Rub’s best friend Will – son Peter – grandson Rub - dog Ruth – Sully’s girlfriend/friend Zach – husband, scavenger Janey – daughter Tina – Janey and Roy’s daughter Roy Purdy – Janey’s ex-husband, ex-con Cora - girlfriend Carl Roebuck – gave Sully and Rub work	Gus Moynihan – mayor Alice – wife Kurt Wright – professor, lived with Alice Douglas “Dougie” Raymer – chief of police Becka – wife, deceased Charice – receptionist Jerome – brother, affair with Becka Miller - officer	Gert’s Salon – near Morrison Arms Gert Morrison Arms – apartment building White Horse Tavern Birdie Hattie’s Diner Ruth Cemetary

For Discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers are from hardback edition of novel.

1. Discuss Rub’s father.  Why was he so mean to Rub?  What effect did this have on Rub?  His mother told his father in front of Rub, “You’re the reason he’s like this” (page 41).  Given how he treated Rub, why did his mother mourn his death when he was so mean?

2. What did you think about Sully and Rub’s friendship?  Why wasn’t Sully nicer to Rub?  Why did he name his dog “Rub?”

3. Why do you think Becka married Raymer?   Raymer remembered that she had changed everything about him (page 190) including the type of underwear he wore.  

4. Why did the townspeople vote for Raymer for Chief of Police?

5. What did Miss Beryl see in Raymer?  Why was she always giving him books?  On page 19 the author wrote, “The old woman was forever shoving books at him, and while another boy might have considered these gifts encouragement, he had wondered if they might instead be punishment for some misdeed he hadn’t noticed.”

6. On page 330 Raymer thought about the question Miss Beryl always asked him, “Who is this Douglas Raymer?”    Why did she keep asking him that question?

7. Consider Miss Beryl and Sully – why did she like him better than her own son?  Would you like to have had a teacher like Miss Beryl?

8. Early in the book, Raymer wondered, “What made him so vulnerable to the judgements of others… when others got off scot-free” (page 16).  Why was he so self-conscious?

9. On page 147, Raymer was reflecting on the people in the town and thought, “Amazing, when you thought about it, how much of human destiny was mapped out by third grade.”   Do you agree?

10. Consider Kurt Wright, the professor hired by Moynihan.  How was he able to manage and control everyone?

11. Did Roy Purdy stand a chance in life?  Even as a grown man, he could not forget the waitress’ look when he was 12 and eating at a diner with his father, who skipped out on the bill, “Like she could see his whole pitiful life stretched out before her, causing him to ball his hands into fists” (page356).  How did this comment affect him?

12. What lesson had Roy’s father been trying to teach him with the diner incident where he had to eat everything he ordered?  Roy thought, “His father was right: wanting things that weren’t worth wanting or wishing things were different was a waste of time” (page 356).  What did Roy really learn from this experience?

13. What did you think when Doug was struck by lightning at his wife’s grave and developed an alter ego “Dougie?”  Why did the author write this?
14. What did you like about this book?  Was there anything you did not like?  Were there any insights in the human character and experience in the book?  What were you able to connect to in the novel?
15. Discuss the various characters.  Which one did you sympathize with the most?   Were there any you particularly liked or disliked?  Why?
16. This author won the Pulitzer Prize for Empire Falls.  How does this book compare?  Does it give you a true picture of some slice of American life?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies  and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right  link.

The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Characters
Darlington Hall	Others
Lord Darlington – previous employer Mr. Farraday – new employer, American Mr. Stevens – Butler Mr. Stevens Sr. – father Miss Kenton 1923 Conference: Herr Karl-Heinz Bremann Mr. Lewis – American Senator M. Dupont Sir David Cardinal Reginald Cardinal – son 1936-37, Unofficial meetings at Darlington Hall: Lord Halifax, Cabinet member, foreign secretary Herr Ribbentrop – German Ambassador	Hayes Society of Butlers Mrs. Carolyn Barnet – influenced Darlington to fire any Jewish employees Mascombe: Mr. and Mrs. Taylor – took in Stevens when ran out of gas Harry Smith Various other neighbors Dr. Richard Carlisle

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the paperback edition of the book.

1. Discuss Mr. Stevens and his personality and demeanor as a butler.  What did you think of his reaction when his father died?
2. Given the time in which this story took place and the expectations in England, could Stevens have acted any differently?  
3. On page 48, Stevens thought that coming back to Darlington Hall would console Miss Kenton after what he deemed as a life “dominated by a sense of waste.”   Do you think Miss Kenton would agree?
4. When Stevens was trying to talk to his father about cutting back on his duties, he talked about his father in the third person (see page 64-65).  What does this tell you about their personalities and relationship?
5. On page 179 when Stevens was reflecting on conversations with Miss Kenton where their relationship deteriorated, he thought, “There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable” (page 179).  Do you think is it common that small, insignificant events have large consequences?  Can you think of any examples?
6. Consider Mr. Stevens and Miss Kenton’s relationship.  For example, when she was hinting to him about his father’s slipping in his duties, was she motivated by kindness or other factors.    Had they been able to communicate better, would their relationship have been different?  More satisfying?
7. What did you think of Stevens’ assessment of Continentals?  For example, on page he thought, “…they are as a breed incapable of the emotional restraint which only the English race are capable of” (page 43).    Also, he had great difficulty with Mr. Faradays’ bantering which he thought, “…in the United States, no doubt, is a sign of a good, friendly understanding between employer and employee” (page 14).   What did you think about this description?
8. When he was visiting Moscombe and the Taylors, why did Stevens deliberately mislead them about his profession?
9. What did you think about the citizens of Moscombe?   One man, Harry Smith, had the reputation for getting people talking, and he said, “Whether people agree or disagree – and I know there’s not one soul in this room now who’d agree with everything I say – at least I’ll get them thinking” (page 190).  What did you think when you read this statement?  How does that fit in our political climate today?
10. After he left the town, Stevens had these thoughts: “Up to a point, no doubt, there is some truth in what he [Harry Smith] says: in a country such as ours, people may indeed have a certain duty to think about great affairs and form their opinions.  But life being what it is, how can ordinary people truly be expected to have ‘strong opinions’ on all manner of things…There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know…” (page 194).  What did you think about this statement?
11. There were several recurring themes throughout the novel.   What would you add?
1. Dignity:  This was very important to Stevens.  How would you define dignity? 
2. Aging:  Consider Stevens’ father.  Could you relate when he went and retraced his steps in the area where he fell and dropped the tray?  How do you think Stevens Jr. will age?
3. Knowing your place:  Both Miss Kenton and Stevens seemed to regret that their relationship did not evolve into more.  Could they have been able to step out of their “place” and connect?  What did you think when Stevens was being quizzed by Lord Darlington’s guests and he would not offer an opinion because it was “not his place.”
4. Duty:  When his father was dying, Stevens put his duty above his father.  Could he have done something different?
12. What did you think about Lord Darlington?  He worked so hard for what he thought was right only to discover he was being used by the Germans.
13. Is Stevens at fault for totally supporting Lord Darlington even when his efforts turned out to be misguided?  Should Stevens have tried to think for himself?
14. Were you able to easily follow the time line in the novel?  Did the author do a good job of helping you, the reader, follow along?
15. This author was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and this is one of his most popular books.  The Boston Globe said it was one of the best books of the decade.  Why?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester  (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the upper right link.

The Far Away Brothers, by Lauren Markham

REVIEW:  This is a great book on multiple levels.   The author presented information in a non-judgmental way.  She did a great job of describing the individual, personal experience as well as the global viewpoint.  I personally learned a lot and also started to think about the immigration situation in the US in a different, more empathetic way.  I highly recommend this book!!  I think it is an important part of our immigration discussion.  I received a complimentary copy of the book for this review.  

People
El Salvador	California
Flores Family Wilbur – father Esperanza – mother Ricardo – oldest child Wilbur Jr. – went to California Maricela – 2 children Ernesto Raul Lucia Mariana Pablo Luis Graciela – Wilbur’s half sister Don Augustin – Uncle Augustin Juan Javier Gangs: MS-13 Barrio 18 Cesar – father to Maricela’s 2nd baby	Ernesto Raul Wilbur Jr. Gabby – girlfriend Rosalinda – Gabby’s mother Two children – Jose and Silvia Sandra – helped boys across border Oakland International High School (OIHS) Mr. David – math teacher Lauren Markham – author Amy Allen – attorney Sofia – Ernesto’s girlfriend Isabella - daughter

For Discussion:

Note:  Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. Discuss the positive and negative influences of Facebook for the two brothers.
2. Their family went into massive debt to send Ernesto and Raul to the United States.  What did you think about them spending money on shoes, jackets, etc. instead of sending more money home?  How was Wilbur able to pay off his debt and the twins were not?
3. Discuss the sacrifices made by the families and others for Ernesto and Raul:
1. The Flores family accrued massive debt and eventually had to sell some of their land.
2. Wilbur Jr. put his own dreams on hold and risked being identified as undocumented to help his brothers.
3. Sandra put herself at risk even though she had her own family.
4. What did you think of the incident in chapter 8 when everyone was admiring a beetle and Ernesto stomped on it and killed it.   Is this related to the murder he witnessed on his journey to the United States?  How did that affect him?
5. Was there anything that could have been done to help the boys stay in school and finish their education?
6. Two different times in the book the author described how the boys felt inferior.  On page 190 (chapter 9) the boys felt “accused …of being nothing” and on page 213 (chapter 10) she wrote, “Living on the margins of a gentrifying city only underlined to Ernesto what the twins had been told and had fought during their whole lives; that they were less than, and that they didn’t, and shouldn’t expect to, belong.”  Can you understand their feelings?  Were there any way things could have been different?
7. In the Afterword the author asks the question, “Concerning immigration, the questions we should be asking are: Why is Central America hemorrhaging people?  And what can be done to stop it at the source?” (page 268).  What do you think?
8. How well did the author present the information without expressing her own opinion?
9. Did you gain any new insights into the experiences of immigrants in America?
10. How might you change things in America after reading this book? 
11. Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like the way the book was organized with alternating sections of the story of the two brothers with more global information?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation,com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right  link.

At the Edge of the Orchard, by Tracy Chevalier

Characters
Black Swamp, OH 1838	California 1853-1856
James Goodenough Sadie 10 Children: Robert - youngest Martha – James’ favorite Caleb Sally John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) Hattie and John Day	Robert Martha William Lobb – plant collector from England James Veitch – in England, nurseryman Billie Lapham – owned sequoia grove Nancy - wife Molly Jones Mrs. Dody Bienenstock – landlady

 For Discussion:

NOTE:  Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1. At the beginning of the novel there was a discussion of numbers.  James felt that keeping numbers and records comforted him and “made you feel in charge” (page 7).  On the other hand, “They bothered Sadie like wasps” (page 7).  How do you feel about numbers?
2. How did you feel reading Sadie’s part of the narrative?  Did the lack of punctuation bother you?
3. Were you able to understand both James and Sadie’s view of their life in Ohio?  Do you think it would have ever been possible for them to find common ground?
4. Sadie kept hinting that Charles, James’ brother, was Robert’s father.  What did you think?  How would this make a difference?
5. Molly and Robert thought of Calaveras Grove in two different ways – Molly thought it was about the people and Robert thought it was about nature.  What did you think?  Can it be both?

6. When Molly asked Robert why he had never told her anything about his family, he said, “If I don’t tell people about it, I don’t have to think about it…” (page 238).   Molly replied, “Ain’t it better to be open about it?  Then at least you’re honest, so you don’t have it diggin’ at you, deep inside” (page 238).  Can you understand each point of view?  What are the positives and negatives of each?
7. Molly told Robert, “You can choose to be different from your past” (page 280).   Do you agree?  Can we make that choice?
8. Discuss Robert going so rapidly from his solitary life to living with Molly and Jimmy.   Were you able to relate?  Did the author do a good job describing his transition.
9. Why do you think Molly was able to connect with Dody when she didn’t seem to connect with anyone else?
10. Discuss the various characters.  What were their admirable qualities?  What did you find annoying?  Who would you want to be friends with? 
11. Did this book help you appreciate nature?
12. Discuss the author’s writing, the format of the book, and your reading experience.

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Characters
Spokane Indian Reservation	Reardon High School
Arnold Spirit, “Junior” Mother Father Mary Runs Away – sister Grandmother Spirit Oscar - dog Rowdy – best friend Mr. P. – geometry teacher Billionaire Ted	Penelope Earl – father Roger the Giant – basketball player Gordy – study partner

For Discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the 2007 paperback edition.

1. What is the meaning of the quote by W. B. Yeats at the beginning of the book, “There is another world, but it is in this one.”
2. On page 5 the author compared reading words and pictures and wrote that words are unpredictable and limited and that people who speak another language than the one you wrote in will not be able to understand, “But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it.”   What did the pictures add to this book for you?
3. Discuss the importance of best friends.  Arnold said that, “I think Rowdy might be the most important person in my life.  Maybe more important than my family.  Can your best friend be more important than your family?” (page 24).
4. What did you think about Mr. P and his confession that the educational system was, “…supposed to make you give up being Indian” and that “We were trying to kill Indian culture” (page 35).
5. When Arnold told Rowdy that he was leaving Wellpinit and going to Reardon to school, Rowdy reacted by becoming very angry and punched Arnold.  Is that an expected reaction?  Is there anything Arnold could have done to soften the announcement?
6. Discuss the difference between Arnold feeling that he was betraying his tribe and his desire to improve himself.
7. When Arnold first started at Reardon, Roger made a racist joke about Indians and Arnold punched him.   Arnold thought that incident may have been, “…the most important moment of my life.  Maybe I was telling the world that I was no longer a human target” (page 65).  What did you think of the incident?  What did Arnold learn from the incident?
8. Were you surprised that Roger became a good friend to Arnold?  Why do you think this happened?
9. Discuss the basketball game when the entire reservation turned their back on Arnold. Did you feel that the behavior of the people off the reservation was better than of those on the reservation?  Can you understand the motives of the reservation people?
10. How important are our expectations of others and ourselves?  Playing basketball at Wellpinit, Arnold, “…wasn’t expected to be good so I wasn’t.  But in Reardon, my coach and the other players wanted me to be good…They expected me to be good.  And so I became good” (page 180).  How important are our expectations of ourselves and other people’s expectations of us?
11. On page 189 the coach said to Arnold before the basketball game with Wellpinit that, “You can do it.”   Arnold reflected those were, “…the four hugest words in the world when they’re put together.”  Why was it so important for Arnold to hear those words?
12. Discuss the character of Gordy.  How influential was he to Arnold’s success?
13. What was the point of adding Billionaire Ted to the novel at Grandmother Spirit’s funeral?
14. Rowdy was crying and told Arnold that he, Arnold, was responsible for Mary’s death (page 211).  How do you explain Rowdy’s feelings and actions?  Should Arnold feel responsible?
15. Contrast the tribe’s actions (eating all food and getting drunk) and Rowdy’s (blaming Arnold and running away) treatment toward the grieving family with how Arnold felt when he returned to Reardon (“They were worried for me…I was important to them” [page 212].) 
16. Arnold listed all of the tribes he belonged to including basketball players, bookworms, etc. (page 217). Did this enhance or diminish his membership in the tribe of Spokane Indians?
17. How do you think a teenager would read this book compared to your reading as an adult?
18. How were the Indians portrayed in this novel?  What problems were highlighted?  What positives were displayed?
19. What messages do you think the author wants the reader to take from this novel?

*****
First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click  on  the upper right link.

The Lauras, by Sara Taylor

REVIEW:  I have mixed thoughts about this book.  The author did an outstanding job presenting Alex’s conflict about gender roles and choices.  I thought it was very insightful that Ma and Alex had no conflict, it was the rest of the world that felt the need to assign everyone to a specific designation.  While the character of Ma was excellent in how she dealt with Alex’s sexuality, I thought she was irresponsible in the lifestyle she included Alex in, including changing school so often and extensive lack of supervision.  Keeping in mind that this is fiction and some rules can be bent, the story line at times seemed unrealistic.  (Of course, my background colored my reading.  This story may well resonate with others.)  All that said, I did enjoy my reading experience and wanted to keep reading to find out how everything was resolved.  In the end, isn’t that what we want in a book - to enjoy the reading experience and maybe gain some new or deeper understanding in the human experience?  This book fulfilled that expectation.  I received a complimentary copy of this book for this review.

Characters

Travels

Alex – 14 when novel begins Ma Father First Laura – friends with Ma, ages 9 – 12 Second Laura – group home in New Jersey, age 14 Third Laura – group home in PA, age 15 Man in car - molested Alex Fletcher – owned Tattoo Parlor and club Fourth Laura – artist, gave Ma Cadillac Fifth Laura – Hood College, Maryland Mr. Panagopoulos – Anthony’s grandfather Anthony – from foster home, Ma sprinkled ashes in ocean Marisol Deceased infant daughter Margaret-Mary Rue Anna-Maria – daughter, ran away with Ma’s help Simon – met Alex when he was working at Cojones, drag club Carla – Sixth Lara, Ma’s daughter given up for adoption when she was a teenager Final Laura - Canada

West Virginia – waitress Florida - waitressing in two bars Harrison County, Mississippi Texas – rescued Anna-Maria Reno -bartending Alex attacked at school California Canada – end of Ma’s Quest Alex – back to Virginia to see father

 For discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from hardback edition.

1. Did it bother you that the first three Laura’s were presented out of order (1^st, 3^rd, 2^nd)?  Why do you think the author did that?
2. In chapter VII (page 81-81), did you understand the explanation of why all the women in the stories Ma told Alex were all called Laura?
3. In chapter VIII (page 93), Alex thought that “There were stories that she couldn’t tell.  Everyone has then; most people pretend that they’ve been forgotten.”  Do you think most people have hidden stories?
4. What did you think about Ma dragging Alex with her on the Quest?  Did you wonder why she didn’t leave Alex with his father?
5. Discuss the long-term effect on Alex of the molestation by the man in the car while Alex was hitchhiking home from sending a post card to the father (chapter V).
6. In chapter XVIII there was a story about how the mother and father differed in their approach to Alex getting in trouble (Ma yelling and then Dad taking Alex for a ride to talk and buying a milkshake).  Was one more effective than the other?  Did they work well together?
7. Discuss how you felt about Alex and Ma as their stories unraveled.  Did your thoughts and your sympathies change?
8. In chapter XVIII Alex worked at Cojones, a drag club.  Should Ma have been more vigilant and allowed Alex to do this?
9. Who did you think the final Laura in Canada was?  Any of the previous ones?
10. Did the author do a good job describing Alex’s feelings of asexuality?  Was that important to the story?  As you were discussing or thinking about the book, did you have a hard time not referring to Alex as either “he” or “she?”
11. Did the author do a good job of explaining and describing Ma’s and Alex’s restlessness?  Were you able to empathize with how they felt?  Given how young Alex was, do you think Ma should have been so permissive?
12. The book dedication is, “To Laura, who left a hole in me.”   How did you interpret this?
13. Could this story have been real?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and  Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.   Click on the  upper right link.