Margalit Fox’s ‘Conan Doyle for the Defense’ - Discussion Questions

Margalit Fox

(1961 - Present)

1.      The author postulates that it was the mind-set of the Victorian age that made someone like Oscar Slater such an easy scapegoat. Do you agree?

2.      Examine the faulty testimony, police corruption, weak defense, and prosecutorial and judicial misconduct that led to the conviction of an innocent man.

3.      “Slater was held too guilty to be released, yet not guilty enough to be hanged” – despite the prejudices and narrow mindedness of the Victorian age, there was enough unease about the case against Slater that his original death sentence was commuted. Discuss the conflicted feelings raised in Glasgow society by this trial.

4.      Arthur Conan Doyle was veritably Sherlock Holmes in many ways. Like his fictional creation, he too was a man who embodied iron clad values of justice and honor, as well as keen intellectual acumen. Discuss the life and character of Conan Doyle.

5.      Conan Doyle interceded successfully on behalf of two innocent men falsely accused of crime – discuss the similarities and differences in the cases of George Edalji and Oscar Slater.

6.      What was Conan Doyle’s methodology in challenging the conviction of Oscar Slater?

7.      Talk about the plausible motive and alternate suspect in the murder of Marion Gilchrist that were discovered by Doyle and the other sleuths who were crusading for Slater.

8.      Powerful forces were arrayed against reopening the investigation into the Gilchrist murder. Talk about the political reasons and vested interests that obstructed the exoneration of Oscar Slater.

9.      No good deed goes unpunished – discuss the falling out between Conan Doyle and Slater.

10.  Racial profiling – from the past to the present day. Discuss

Richard Flanagan’s ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ – Discussion Questions

Richard Flanagan

(1961 - Present)

1.      “Nothing endures…Not empires, not memories…we will die, and who will understand any of this?” Throughout this novel the running motif is the power of time to sweep away all men, all incidents, and all memories into insignificance. Yet, more than fifty years since its conclusion, books continue to be written about the Second World War. Why? What relevance does a book like TNRTTDN offer its readers? What did you discover from it?

2.      This is a book that is both powerful and painful to read. What aspect of this novel had the most impact on you?

3.      Discuss the hypocrisy and double standards of the war crimes trials, where those on the lower rungs of military hierarchy were held responsible for following orders they received from their superiors. Did these trials ever serve justice? Do you feel justice was possible for these crimes?

4.      Darky Gardiner, Tiny Middleton, Rooster McNiece, Rabbit Hendricks, Bonox Baker, Jimmy Bigelow etc. – discuss the strategies they, and other prisoners, adopted to survive the inhuman conditions of the POW labor camps.

5.      War crimes, Colonialism, Slavery, Genocide, Racism, Discrimination, Suffering - how do we forgive these historical wrongs? Should we make an effort to keep alive memories of injustice and conflict; or strive to put them behind us as deterrents to good will in the future? Is it possible to find a balance?

6.      The Burma Railway began construction on 15 September 1942 and was completed ahead of schedule on 17 October 1942. The Death Railway, as it has been called, was both an engineering miracle and a tragedy bordering on human holocaust. Discuss.

7.       How can a civilization condone depraved cruelty and indifference to fellow human beings and still claim to call itself a civilization? How much can be explained away by ‘cultural differences’ and the ‘madness of war’? What defies explanation or justification?

8.      How successful is the author in melding Dorrigo’s personal story with the wider narrative of the POW experience?

9.      “A happy man has no past, while an unhappy man has nothing else.” Dorrigo Evans; despite being admired, respected, and loved, lives a joyless existence for the greater part of his life. What were his obstacles to happiness and peace of mind?

10.  ‘Amy, amante, amour’ – What does Amy Mulvaney mean to Dorrigo Evans? What was unique about their relationship that he’s unable to find with his wife, or the countless other women in his life? Is Amy his one true love? Does she represent for the romantic, poetry-loving Dorrigo an idealized version of what love should be, rather than what it actually is? If Amy is the love of his life, why does he let slip the many opportunities to commit to her? Dorrigo Evans - a hero in every other way; is he a coward when it comes to matters of the heart?

11.  This book is in a way, an ode to the masculine mystique – honoring traditional ideals of manhood that elevate character, but at the same time also limit individuality. Dorrigo Evans is a prime example of this. Discuss.

12.  Dorrigo Evans was called ‘the Big Fella’ by his men. How does Dorrigo earn his men’s trust and respect even under the grueling conditions in which they lived? Discuss his leadership.

13.  Flanagan writes this about books: that they have “an aura that both radiated outwards and took him inwards to another world that said to him he was not alone.” The depiction of tragedy and suffering in art is not meant to be either gratuitous or for shock value – the aim is catharsis. Great literature achieves more than catharsis; it leaves us with a deeper understanding of the human condition. Does this book accomplish that?

J.D. Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy' - Discussion Questions

(1984 - Present)

1.Vance talks about his fellow hillbillies’ good traits – an intense sense of loyalty, a fierce dedication to family and country – and their bad ones: their insularity and hostility to the unfamiliar. Discuss these qualities as revealed through various instances in this book.

2. Vance’s extended family is a quirky and somewhat alarming group of people. Talk about his experiences in Jackson, and how his clan influenced him. How does his perception alter as he matures?

3. My grandparents – Mamaw and Papaw – were without question or qualification, the best things that ever happened to me.

Mamaw and Papaw may have failed Bev in her youth. But they spent the rest of their lives making up for it.

Mamaw and Papaw as Parents vs. Mamaw and Papaw as Grandparents – Discuss.

4. What were the difficulties Mamaw and Papaw experienced in adapting to their new life in Middletown?

5. Discuss how the fortunes of Middletown, OH mirrored the rise and decline of Armco. Talk about the ingrained attitudes towards Luck, Brains, and Hard Work.

6. Talk about J.D.’s childhood – his relationship with his dad, the absence of reliable father figures, and the turmoil created by Bev.

7. Mamaw and J.D.’s father had very different approaches to religion. How did they influence his own faith?

8. How did Papaw’s death affect the family? In what way did their life change with his passing?

9. Discuss the turbulent years of J.D.’s adolescence; the period when he was shunted between three households – his Mom’s, his Dad’s, and Mamaw’s.

10. Talk about J.D.’s growing closeness to Mamaw during his high school years, and the enduring influence the relationship had on him.

11. Joining the Marine Corps quite literally made a man out of J.D. Discuss all the ways this is evinced in the book.

12. Vance’s admission into Yale Law School is the stuff of fairy tales for the average American. What about his life would have appealed to so selective a body as an Ivy League Admissions Committee? Talk about his experiences there.

13. In the final chapters, J.D. acknowledges all the elements that made a positive difference to his life – the thumbs put on my scale – as he calls it. We see him committed to taking the right approach to situations and relationships; and not repeating the mistakes he had witnessed in his early life. How does he continue to struggle to wean himself away from toxic patterns of behavior?

14. Vance identifies himself as a Modern Conservative, and is dismissive of how much may be achieved through government programs in bettering people’s lives and strengthening communities. The idea of personal responsibility and self-determination are recurrent themes in this book. He speaks from his personal experience; what are your thoughts on this?

Joshua Foer's 'Moonwalking with Einstein' - Discussion Questions

Joshua Foer, at the 2006 USA Memory Championship

(1982 - Present)

The subtitle of ‘Moonwalking with Einstein’ is ‘The Art and Science of Remembering Everything’. Do you feel the author delivers on that front? Has reading this book unfolded to you the secrets of remembering ‘everything’?

As is evident from the book, to the greater majority of us, ‘remembering’ is a conscious act requiring time and focus. As Joshua Foer himself convincingly points out, we live in an age of ‘externalized memories’. Why would we, why should we, choose to go the extra mile to commit things to memory when we have data available to us at our fingertips?

‘…the “magical number seven” seems to be the universal carrying capacity of our short-term working memory.’ Would you agree with this?

The yogis tell us ‘to live in the present moment’. Compare that statement vis-a-vis the circumstances of EP (The Most Forgetful Man in the World). What has EP gained? What has he lost?

Discuss the technique of ‘the memory palace’ employed by the author and the other memory athletes in this book. Did you try experimenting with it? What was your experience of this technique?

In ‘How to Memorize a Poem’ Foer says “… [our brains] are fundamentally prediction and planning machines”. Do you agree with this statement?

While attempting to train his memory, Foer hits a rut at memorizing a card deck. This leads him to his research on the OK plateau. Is the OK plateau the defining difference between the amateurs and the masters in any field of action? Is it that most of us are satisfied with ‘good enough’ while there are those who never cease pushing themselves to better their own best performance?

There are quite a few instances in this book where there is talk of revolutionizing the prevalent educational system by reintroducing the art/science of memorizing. A striking example of its success can be found in the chapter, ‘The Talented Tenth’. Has the importance of memorizing diminished in the present academic system? What are your thoughts on this?

Joshua Foer seems to have some conflicting feelings about the founder of the Memory Championships – Tony Buzan and the ‘Brainman’ (Daniel Tammet). He admits his ambivalence but does not explain it. What do you think could be his reasons?

Were you able to relate this book to anything else you have read or personally experienced?

On his journey to becoming America’s Memory Champion, Foer meets a gallery of interesting, eccentric individuals. Discuss the ones that caught your interest.

Has reading this book changed you in any way?

Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' - Discussion Questions

Jack Kerouac (1922 - 1969), on the right, with Neal Cassady (1926 - 1968), on the left

He was simply a youth tremendously excited with life, and though he was a con-man, he was only conning because he wanted so much to live and to get involved with people who would otherwise pay no attention to him.

Sal Paradise has an immensely tolerant, compassionate attitude to Dean Moriarty. To what extent, if any, is this attitude altered by the end of the novel?

…I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes ‘Awww!’

In comparison with his circle of friends, Sal comes across as relatively less eccentric than many of them, and appears to have a more stable family life. But he’s generally welcomed wherever he goes. Discuss his fascination with his hipster acquaintances – the effect they have on him, and the effect he might have had on them.

All my other friends were ‘intellectuals’…his criminality was not something that sulked and sneered; it was a wild yea-saying overburst of American joy; it was Western, the west wind, and ode from the Plains, something new, long prophesied, long a-coming…

The ‘other friends’ Kerouac refers to were, many of them, fellow Beat writers and poets who appear in this book under various aliases. Some of them were Colombia students that Kerouac had met when he was studying there. They were the disaffected intelligentsia who had grown disillusioned with post-war America. Yet Dean, who was based on the real-life Neal Cassady, represented something unique even to this group. Kerouac’s tone when he speaks of Moriarty has a reverential accent to it. Would you also agree that Moriarty is an American archetype – in his unrestrained pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, no matter what the cost?

There was nothing clear about the things he said, but what he meant to say was somehow made pure and clear. He used the word ‘pure’ a great deal.

Many of the things Dean Moriarty utters seem incoherent. Yet Cassady’s wife, Carolyn Cassady (Camille in the book) says that Cassady was an intellectual match for Kerouac who could hold his end of the conversation. What do you think? Is Moriarty a slightly unhinged hobo, or an inspired poet/mystic?

…we all realized we were leaving confusion and nonsense behind and performing our one and noble function of the time, move. And we moved!

Why is being on the move so vitally important to Sal and Dean? What are they looking for? Do they ever succeed in leaving confusion and nonsense behind?

…for just a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach, which was the complete step across chronological time…

At several points in the narrative, Dean speaks ecstatically of ‘knowing time’, and Sal appears to have some transcendental experiences of his own. In Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’, an ex-girlfriend refers to the complicated Jobs as ‘an enlightened being who is cruel’. We see both Dean and Sal indulging in substance abuse, petty theft, promiscuity, and all manner of irresponsible and hurtful behavior. Yet, there seems to be something genuine to their spiritual quest. Is morality necessary for spiritual growth? What do you think?

I wished I were Joe…wishing I could exchange worlds with the happy, true-hearted, ecstatic Negroes of America…There was excitement and the air was filled with the vibration of really joyous life that knows nothing of disappointment and ‘white sorrows’ and all that.

‘On the Road’ was published in 1957, prior to the Civil Rights movement. Seen in that light, what is your assessment of Sal’s view of the African American experience?

Kerouac frequently alludes to jazz music in this novel. What do you think was the allure of jazz for the Beat generation?

What’s your road, man? – holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It’s an anywhere road for anybody, anyhow…no matter where I live, my trunk’s always sticking out from under my bed, I’m ready to leave or get thrown out. I’ve decided to leave everything out of my hands…I’m cutting along in my life as it leads me.

Neal Cassady – the inspiration for the fictional Dean Moriarty - survived an unstable childhood with an alcoholic father; experienced frequent bouts of homelessness; was a juvenile delinquent who was sent to reformatory school where he was allegedly molested by an older mentor; and, was rumored to be bisexual. Does this background information explain the elusive Moriarty any better? Does it impact your impression of him in any way?

They had come down from the back mountains and higher places to hold forth their hands for something they thought civilization could offer, and they never dreamed the sadness and the broken delusion of it. They didn’t know that a bomb had come that could crack all our bridges and road and reduce them to jumbles, and we would be as poor as they someday, and stretching out our hands in the same, same way.

(i)                 Here, and elsewhere in the book, is Sal romanticizing the lives of the destitute and disenfranchised? Or, did the Beats, like the Hippies who came after them, see a deep-seated lack behind the material prosperity of Western civilization?

(ii)               The Beat Generation lived in the shadow of an imminent nuclear threat. Discuss how this fear of an apocalypse might have shaped their worldview, philosophy and literature.

…we know what IT is and we know TIME and we know that everything is really FINE…Now you just dig them in front. They have worries, they’re counting the miles…how they’ll get there – and all the time they’ll get there anyway, you see. But they’ll need to worry and betray time with urgencies false and otherwise…

Living life by the seat of your pants vs. the need for order and stability. Staying true to your individuality and personal joy vs. accommodating social and moral obligations. Spontaneity vs. rigidity. Experimentation vs. the straight and narrow.

One man’s notion of being true to himself is another man’s idea of narcissistic impulse-chasing - are joy, creativity and/or spirituality inherently antithetical to discipline and self-restraint? Is it possible to strike a balance?

George Eliot’s ‘Middlemarch’ – Discussion Questions

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

(1819 - 1880)

‘Many Theresas have been born…ill-matched with the meanness of opportunity.” Eliot starts and ends her book on the rueful note that even women like Dorothea are condemned to fall short of greatness. In your assessment, does Dorothea manifest the potential for ‘greatness’, regardless of circumstances?

‘A woman dictates before marriage in order that she may have an appetite for submission afterwards.’ Considering the many marital relationships portrayed in ‘Middlemarch’, do you find this statement ironic at all in any way?

How many youthful mistakes are due to our inexperience of life? And what part is due to our lack of self-awareness when we’re young?

On the same note (and keeping in mind Eliot’s dismay at ‘the pilulous smallness…of pre-matrimonial acquaintanceship’), do you think if Dorothea had met Ladislaw before Casaubon; or, if Lydgate had got to know Dorothea before he met Rosamond, they would  have made different choices?

Eliot creates a vibrant image of town life in ‘Middlemarch’. Discuss the social dynamics that define the community.

Lydgate married Rosamond because she was beautiful, and he imagined that she would be docile and supportive of him in all matters. He comes to a rude awakening shortly after his marriage. Like Dorothea, he too fails to realize his full potential. Do you think that Eliot is implying that the right choice of spouse can make all the difference to the success that one may achieve in life?

One common feature of the female characters in this novel is that they are all ‘good women’ who stand by their men in their time of trial. The only exception to this is Rosamond Vincy/Lydgate. Do you sympathize with Rosamond’s situation? Do you find her reactions justifiable?

Middlemarch has that outstanding trait of small towns – the tendency of rumor to spread like wildfire. Dorothea says that, “…people are almost always better than their neighbors think they are.” The people in Middlemarch seem willing and eager to believe the worst of one another. Those who learn this all too well are Will, Lydgate, Bulstrode, and Dorothea herself. Can character ever withstand malicious gossip?

Bulstrode is one individual who aspires to dominate others with his moral superiority. His fall from grace is therefore even more ignominious. Hypocrisy was a favorite theme of Victorian writers. Do you think society has advanced to the extent that we may say that we live in a less hypocritical age? Why does religious hypocrisy rankle more than any other kind?

Eliot made a very earnest attempt to differentiate herself from the more trivial writings of her female contemporaries by talking of ‘serious’ topics. Do you think the discussions of the politics and medical sciences of the 1830s have been to the novel’s advantage? What did you take away from her literary style?

Fredrik Backman's 'A Man Called Ove' - Discussion Questions

(1981 - Present)

Consider the title of the book, and the chapter names – is there any particular trait that is synonymous with masculinity? Which of these traits define Ove – making him the ‘man’ that he is? Indeed, what separates the men from the boys?

Sonja and Ove: “Ove had never been asked how he lived before he met her. But if anyone had asked him, he would have answered that he didn’t…But if anyone had asked, he would have told them that he never lived before he met her. And not after either.” Discuss their relationship. Was Ove a different man when he was with Sonja; or rather, was she the only one who saw who he truly was?

“Ove may have given up on life, but Life refuses to give up Ove.” Discuss.

Compare and contrast Ove with either legendary curmudgeons in Literature – Silas Marner, Johanna Spyri’s ‘Grandfather’ (from ‘Heidi’), and of course, Ebeneezer Scrooge – or, in other books that you may have read. Is there a particular appeal in discovering new aspects of someone whom society has either misunderstood or underestimated?

Society misjudges introverts – Agree? Disagree?

One of the characteristics of Ove is his manual dexterity – his ability to make, or fix things. In our rush towards technological advancement, is our present generation losing out on skills that may be more basic, but just as valuable? Are we being dumbed down in the process?

Tough, ornery Ove seems to have met his match in Cat. Discuss the effects of having a pet that literally saves so many from a prison of loneliness.

Ove’s neighbors – discuss. At a time when Ove wants to disconnect from the world, the world won’t stop barging in on him. Discuss the sense of community that is such an important factor in this novel.

Did the conclusion take you by surprise? Would you consider it fitting or contrived? 

Margaret Atwood's 'The Blind Assassin' - Discussion Questions

Margaret Atwood

(1939 - Present)

Does this book have a dominant theme? The author has objections to her work being typified as feminist – but can the women in this novel be described as victims of a patriarchal society, or do they merely suffer the consequences of their own flawed judgment? Are the male characters more empowered than the women in this novel?

“To all appearances I was my father’s child…But appearances are deceptive. I could never have driven off a bridge. My father could have. My mother couldn’t.” Discuss the character of Iris Chase. If history is indeed the record of survivors, is Iris tragic or heroic in her endurance? Trace the arc of the character’s evolution from the Iris’ childhood through her old age.

These are Iris’ words on her sister, Laura: “She had a heightened capacity for belief. She left herself open, she entrusted herself, she gave herself over, she put herself at the mercy. A little incredulity would have been a first line of defense.” What are the differences between the two sisters? Are there any similarities between them? Did Iris fail Laura in any way, or has she been Laura’s champion?

To quote Tolstoy, “Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Discuss the watershed events of the Chase family, the tragedies that marred their childhood, and predicates their unfortunate adult lives.

How does Atwood intricately link Canada’s history and society to the development of plot and character?

Discuss the literary elements used with such élan by Atwood – the epistolary style; the story within a story technique; and the ironic humor.

The society girl in Laura Chase’s novel has a difficult relationship with her fugitive lover. What draws them together; and what keeps them apart? Is the attraction real; or are the obstacles real? Having read the book, discuss what has never been overtly stated – why is the young man on the run from the law? What was his crime, and what was his degree of guilt?

The Chase sisters’ mother lives a life of piety and service; day-dreaming Laura seeks her refuge in faith; harder-headed Iris rejects it; and the dwellers of Sakiel-Norn use it as an excuse for their depravities - explore the varied perspectives on religion in this book.

Does the fantastical story spun by Alex Thomas have any correlation to reality in this novel? Discuss the parallels.

“It means nothing to him that she’s little more than a decorated and bejeweled prisoner. It means nothing to him that the same people who have made him blind have made her mute.” [from ‘The Blind Assassin’ by Laura Chase]

“I feel despised there, for having so little money; also for once having had so much. I never actually had it of course. Father had it, and then Richard. But money was imputed to me, the same way crimes were imputed to those who’ve simply been present at them.” [Iris Chase ]

 “This above all, to refuse to be a victim.” [Margaret Atwood]

How would you tie the first two quotes together; and, how would you reconcile them with the third when on the surface of the novel (and the novel- within-the-novel) victimization seems quite rampant?

Who is, or, who are the blind assassins in this novel? Justify your choice(s).

Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' - Discussion Questions

Mario Puzo (1920 - 1999)

Spoiler Alert! Readers, be aware that the following questions give away a lot of the plot. If you haven’t yet read the book, perhaps you may want to do that first before reading any further.

Is this book a rampant glorification of violence, of the end justifying the means? Discuss.

“Life is so beautiful”- Do you find it surprising that these should be the last words of someone who has lived the life that Vito Corleone has? Having read the book, can you account for his final statement?

Michael Corleone’s life takes several unexpected turns. How does this college-educated war-hero and aspiring Math teacher change from being the virtual family outcast to becoming the chosen heir of the Don? Do you find the transformation convincing? What does Michael hope to achieve when he says, “Tell my father I wish to be his son”? What does he gain? What does he lose?

What do you think of the Don’s belief that “every man has one destiny” and that witnessing his father’s actions predetermined Sonny’s? Sonny is a charismatic character capable of both great protective instincts and remorseless violence; the author ascribes near-mystical causes for his violent nature (Book IV, Ch. 19). Would you agree that probably nothing could have altered the path his life takes?

There are five main female characters in the novel – Kay, Mama Corleone, Connie, Lucy Mancini, and Apollonia. Though these women are beloved of the Corleone men, how far, if to any extent, do they impact the decisions of the family? Are their roles merely ornamental, or does their characterization depict something about the culture and mindset of the society to which they belong?

There are a couple of sidebars to the main plot namely, the world of Hollywood, and the world of Las Vegas. Are these scenes pertinent to the story, or do they merely provide the requisite sex and glamor quotient to what was intended to be a commercial money-maker?

Is there a moral order to the literary universe of ‘The Godfather’? Does the book represent Good and Evil as absolute values, or impractical ideals in a world that is inherently flawed?

“…There are things that have to be done and you do them and you never talk about them. You don’t try to justify them. They can’t be justified. You just do them. Then you forget it.”

“Michael was not yet the man his father was…[he] still was not that confident of his right, still feared being unjust, still worried about that fraction of an uncertainty…”

What do these two statements reveal about the concept of leadership expressed in this book? Is it necessary or acceptable that those who wield enormous power over others should never question their own actions? If self-assurance is key to inspiring confidence in others, to what extent would any evidence of self-doubt undermine their authority?

Did you see the climax coming, or did it take you by surprise? Could the same results have been achieved by different means? Can there ever be forgiveness among people like these, or would it only be interpreted as weakness?

How faithful have the Godfather movies been to the vision of Puzo? How do they differ? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the literary and cinematic versions?

Ariel Sabar's 'My Father's Paradise' - Discussion Questions

Ariel and Yona Sabar in Zakho, Iraq

General:

1.      Sabar’s book chronicles the history of his family. Would you say that the author speaks of universal human experiences, or is his purview narrower than that? If you are neither Jewish nor an immigrant, what aspects of this book resonate with you?

2.      Sabar makes occasional detours when explaining the history and anthropology of the Jews of Kurdistan. Do you feel these details add to the likeability of the book, or do they work against it?

3.      Why do you think it was important to the author to write this book?

Father and Son:

1.      Ariel Sabar seems to harbor a pervasive sense of guilt over his early resentment of his father. Would you agree that there is a need to make amends? What is the root of their conflict?

2.      Yona Sabar experiences displacement twice in his life: from his family’s forced evacuation to Israel, and his own migration to the U.S. Discuss his reaction to this double dose of culture shock. How is his alienation in Israel different from his isolation in America?

3.      In Israel, Yona finds a small group of Iraqi friends who defied the prevailing stereotype of Sephardic Jews. To what would you attribute their accomplishment? Was it a lucky coincidence, a matter of choice, or was there something else in play here?

4.      “My father had staked his life on the notion that the past mattered more than anything…” America is undeniably a melting pot, and an immigrant or immigrant family’s successful assimilation is a deft act of balancing heritage while embracing individualism. Do you feel Yona succeeded in this? How about Ariel?

Characters:

1.      Yona Sabar’s grandfather was reportedly a man who conversed with angels. What was the influence of Ephraim on Yona?

2.      Rahamim saw a sudden shift of fortunes in his family’s move from Iraq to Israel. With that change there was also a transformation in personality. How would you assess Rahamim as a man, as a father, and as a husband?

3.      Ariel Sabar describes Savta Miryam as his father’s ‘muse’.  Yet the mother of the world’s foremost scholar in Aramaic was nearly illiterate. There is much in Miryam’s life that is tragic; how does she handle the adversities that were handed to her?

4.      A cornerstone of the book is the story of the lost child – Rifqa. Does anyone in the family share a greater share of responsibility for the loss of the little girl, or are they all equally culpable? Do you think the family would have parted with the child as easily if it had been a boy, instead of a girl? How do you account for the author’s obsession with finding out what happened to his aunt?

5.      There is a veritable gallery of characters in this book? Which among them did you find most memorable?

Themes:

1.      At the heart of this book is the protagonist’s dedicating his life to the preservation of a language that is almost guaranteed to die out in a relatively short space of time. Considering the inevitability of its demise, are Yona Sabar’s efforts heroic, futile, or urgently necessary?

2.      What is it about Zakho that makes Ariel Sabar characterize it as his father’s Paradise? Is Yona Sabar unrealistic in clinging to his memory of Zakho? Why do you think his hometown has such a strong hold on his heart? What did he find there that he couldn’t find anywhere else?

3.      Considering the persecution that the Jews of Europe have suffered throughout history, how do we explain the lack of solidarity between Ashkenazi Israelis and their Sephardic countrymen? Would you consider this discriminatory attitude surprising, or inevitable?

4.      Yona Sabar seems to feel that America despite its material affluence is a land that is spiritually lacking (Father and Son: Speechless). Would you agree with him? Do you feel that Prof. Sabar retains this opinion to the end of the book?

5.      When the news is full of reports of outbreaks of hostility between Jews and Muslims, between people of different races and beliefs, do you find it surprising that a hitherto little-known village in Iraq has been an oasis of brotherhood? Can you think of other examples of tolerance and mutual respect? If such do exist, why is there so little media coverage of it, as compared to the daily inundation of negative press reports?