"The Help"

1. Who was your favorite character? Why?
2. What do you think motivated Hilly? She is cruel to Aibileen and Skeeter once she realizes that she can’t control her. Yet she’s a wonderful mother.
• Do you think that one can be a good mother but, at the same time, a deeply flawed person?
3. Like Hilly, Skeeter’s mother is deeply flawed yet sympathetic. She seems to care for Skeeter— and she also seems to have very real feelings for Constantine. Yet she gives Constantine a unmakable choice; and her interaction with Skeeter is critical.
4. Do you think Skeeter’s mother is a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Why?
5. How much of a person’s character is shaped by the times in which they live?
6. Did it bother you that Skeeter is willing to overlook so many of Stuart’s faults so that she can get married ?
7. Do you believe that Minny was justified in her distrust of white people?
8. Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother?
9. Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?
10. The author manages to paint Aibileen with a quiet grace and an aura of wisdom about her. How do you think she does this?
11. What did you think about Minny’s pie for Miss Hilly? Would you have gone as far as Minny did for revenge?
12. Which characters did you find most likable and sympathetic?
13. To what extent do you think a person's flaws, such as racist attitudes and behaviors, can be forgiven because it is the norm in the surrounding culture?
14. How much do you think the dynamics of relationships between black people and white people have changed?

"Lord of the Flies"

What is important about the title? Is there a reference in the novel that explains the title?

What are the conflicts in Lord of the Flies? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional)?

How does William Golding reveal character in Lord of the Flies?

What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?

What are some symbols in Lord of the Flies? How do they relate to the plot and characters?

Are the boys consistent in their actions? Are they fully developed characters? Are some characters more fully developed than others? How? Why?

Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters persons you would want to meet?

Discuss some of the symbols in Lord of the Flies.

What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?

Why is the novel so controversial? Do you think the book should be censored or banned?

How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?

What is the role of family and community in this novel?
Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?
Would you recommend this novel to a friend?

"The Psychopath Test"

Discussion questions for Sunday:


1. Which "psychopath" did you find the most interesting? (Constance Toto/ Tony (at Broadmoor)/Al Dunlap/other) Why?

2. According to Bob Hare, Psychopaths cannot be cured. If there was a way to be 100% sure of detecting a Psychopath, should we lock them up before they commit a crime? What about the "crimes" that are legal, like CEOs of corporations that walk away with their fat bonuses after they lay off hundreds of workers?

3. According to Al Dunlap, all these traits on the Bob Hare checklist are signs of a great leader and should be looked at as a positive. Do you agree?

4. Do you agree with Scientologist that psychologists/psychiatrist should be considered "the enemy"?

5. What are your feelings about Tony (at Broadmoor)? Do you think he is innocent or do you think he really is a psychopath?

6. What were some of your favorite Laugh Out Loud moments in the book, or did you not find the book funny?

7. Do you, like the author, feel you now have a "secret super power" of detecting psychopaths?

"Area 51"

"Area 51 - An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base" by Annie Jacobsen

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14387365

"Confederates in the Attic"

Fellow book lovers, this Sunday at the Crouch residence we will discuss the book “Confederates in the Attic” by Tony Horwitz. The book brings up many questions, with the primary one being was the American Civil War fought over slavery, states-rights or what? More questions

2. The author starts out the book by asking why his Russian born great grandfather became obsessed by the Civil War. Did he answer it directly or maybe indirectly.

3. My great grandfather fought for the Union side as part of the 9th Indiana, and is an important part of my family’s lore. Do any of you have such a history.

4. Gettysburg was the subject of my first paper ever in the fourth or fifth grade, and the subject has been compelling ever since. Do you recall your early papers?

5. Did any of you follow Ken Burns PBS show “The Civil War”? I think it was the last TV show I watched faithfully.

6. Does the book have a pro-Confederate or pro-Union bent?

7. If there is a hero in the book it is Robert Lee Hodges. Is he sympathetic or sad? Where do you draw the line between love of a subject and stupidity?

8. Do you have a favorite historical site?

9. Is re-enacting an escape or just longing for another time and place?

10. What is your take on the confederate flag?

11.We lovers of history are always trying to protect more historic acreage. Is it only land?

12.Were you surprised that women were as passionate about the subject as men?

13. Why is the Civil War embraced like no other American conflict?

14. I want you each to take a Chapter and report your thoughts on it

a. Jean- Confederate heritage in Selma Alabama

b. Kelly-truth about “Gone with the Wind”

c. Amber-Alberta Martin last Confederate widow

d. Marge-visiting Shiloh Battlefield

e- Allison-Shelby Foote

f.- Gary- Andersonville Prison

g. Andy-Reenactment of the Battle of the Wilderness

h. Larry-Discuss Robert Hodge’s “wargasm” the week long journey

"The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid"

1. Did you enjoy the book?  Was there a particular part that really stood out for you?  Did you laugh out loud at any parts?
2. How much of the story did you think was true?  How much of it was “rose colored glasses” wistfulness for the time and place?
3. What did you think of chapter 4, “The Age of Excitement.  Given the current status of the US, which I would characterize as “The Age of Fear of All Things” what changed for us?  (Editors note: Personal opinion being expressed, I have no data to support this.)
4. Did the detailed descriptions of the streets, houses and neighborhoods add or detract?  Why?
5. What was your favorite anecdote in the book? 
6. When you were young, did you ever wonder if your parents and their siblings come from different families and parents?
7. What about the Thunderbolt Kid?   Did you have an alter ego when you were growing up?  Did you ever want to possess super powers?  Which ones?

"Unbroken"

I hope you have all enjoyed reading about Louie Zamperini. Laura Hillenbrand had conversations with him over a 7 year period to write his story.


Here are just a few questions to get us started.

In chapter 18, and again in Chapter 20, Louie speaks to the importance of human dignity and credits it to his ability to survive. Do you agree? What role did his friendships play?

Did you believe everything you read? Could Louie have been hallucinating when the sharks were trying to leap into the raft? Did Mac truly redeem himself at the end of his life?

The young men of World War II endured great tragedy and stress, yet few were diagnosed with battle fatigue, now called post traumatic stress disorder, that is so prevalent in today’s young soldiers. What has changed?

Alison

"The Wednesday Letters"

1. Jack’s death was expected, whereas Laurel’s was a surprise. Do you think one way is preferable to the other? Are there things you can do to help prepare yourself for a loved one’s demise?
2. A&P adopts the nickname that others had given to mock her, telling herself, “nicknames mean you matter” (p. 5). Have you ever had a nickname you didn’t like? How might you have turned it around to give it a positive meaning?
3. The youngest Cooper child, Malcolm, has been away for two years. Would he have returned to Woodstock earlier if he’d known his father was dying of cancer? Should he have returned sooner?
4. When Malcolm does return home, he discovers a secret his parents kept from him. Have you ever discovered secrets held by someone you loved after he or she had passed on? How did your discovery affect your feelings about that person?
5. Why did Laurel try to keep Malcolm’s parentage a secret? Would Jack and Malcolm have been happier if she had?
6. When Sam was 17, she ran away to New York City to pursue her dream of having an acting career. Though she got a small part in a show called “Curtains” she eventually stopped pursuing her dream. How and why did this happen? Is it admirable or disappointing that Samantha puts other’s needs ahead of her dreams?
7. When reading her father’s letters, Samantha learns that he paid for the part in the show she got. Yet she’s not angry about this. Why not? Was this the act of a loving parent or a controlling father? Does learning this secret change Samantha’s view of herself?
8. Aside from the Coopers, who is your favorite character and why?
9. Joe is finally able to give up alcohol because the girl he nearly killed forgave him—even visiting him and frequently writing him letters while he was in prison. What is the novel saying about the relationship between forgiveness and self-acceptance? Where else are these themes worked through the novel?
10. Matthew and Monica’s marriage is troubled by their childlessness. Would it have lasted if they hadn’t been able to adopt a child? What does a child bring to a couple like Matthew and Monica?
11. What does Nathan’s inability to trust Rain say about him? Is there such a thing as a healthy skepticism?
12. Discuss Malcolm’s development over the course of the novel. How do the letters play a part in his journey to maturity? What is it about letters that gives them such power? When was the last time you wrote a letter?
13. It takes an unusual spirit to forgive your rapist—and even welcome him into your community. Could you—like Jack and Laurel—accept Pastor Doug as a man of God?
14. Does The Wednesday Letters inspire you to start any traditions of your own?