"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