Book clubs abound in every rural town, city and suburb. They are a great way to look at books through the eyes of others, a way to share your enjoyment of reading, and build friendships.
If you are in a book club and would like to visit with me, as author and the mind behind the story, I’d be happy to zoom or attend in person, depending on the proximity to your club.
Take a look at the book club discussion guide below. Are there other questions you would like to frame for your group? I’d like to hear them.
- Though this fiction story is set in 1906, current research (https://ifstudies.org/blog/how-dads-affect-their-daughters-into-adulthood) tells us that the role of a dad in a girl’s life helps her develop her confidence and resilience. How do you see this play out in Fiona’s case? What does she accomplish as a result of the presence of a strong father and supportive uncle? How have you seen this play out (or not) in your family or extended family?
- India is a country of paradoxes. If you have been to India, what contradictions did you experience? What incongruities did you see in the India that Fiona experienced in 1906? What’s the importance of examining two sides of a coin—in other words, two sides of an idea, a belief system, or cultural norm?
- Can you imagine being alone on a ship with a bunch of men? Would you have found the same kind of comfort and support from Jacob as Fiona did? Could you have survived the forced confinement for weeks? To be held back from the very thing Fiona wanted, an adventure to learn from every things she could not in Iowa, was a great loss. What things that happened in the story showed that loss to you?
- What kind of traveler are you? Armchair traveler, who wants to see the world through a character’s eyes like Fiona? The kind who will spin the globe and take off? Or the kind who will choose and plan a trip with great detail? The kind of person who enjoys luxury or budget travel? What do you gain from travel, regardless what kind of traveler you are?
- Religions around the world all differ and all have some elements in common. What do you see in Jacob’s Native American heritage that is common or different to your religious traditions and beliefs? In David’s Quakerism or Religious Society of Friends? In Ameera’s Hinduism? How does she explain being Hindu and Christian Quaker simultaneously? Can you accept this dichotomy? Why or why not?
- Relationships between men and women are fraught with romance, conflict, and the pleasures of companionship. How did you see Fiona navigating her relationship with David and with Jacob? What does she gain and what does she lose in the final confrontation with each man?
- If you were to rewrite the book, how would you want it to end? The same or differently? What would have to change earlier in the story, to create a different ending?
Please share your question about the book you would like to discuss with your group or club. I may add them to the discussion guide. Thanks for sharing.
If you haven’t gotten the book, take a look.
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639885501
Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDK7Q54J/
If you read the book, please leave a short review of two or three sentences on Amazon, what you liked, what you found intriguing, or what you discovered about yourself in reading the book. Thanks, so much!!!
Finding Ourselves at Home in the World 