Book clubs
The Reluctant Daughters
Book Club Questions for Discussion: 1. The time period is between 1865 and 1900. What were the difficulties in communication compared to today? 2. In the beginning of the story, Elizabeth is not very likable. At what point do you see her changing and why do you think it happened? 3. “Irish Need Not Apply” was not uncommon. Elizabeth’s father hoped his money would help Elizabeth, especially when he sent her to a good finishing school. Did it help or hurt? 4. Ledger, Elizabeth’s companion, was born into slavery but rescued by two Englishmen and raised in their home in England, educated, and then sent out into the world with a stipend. How do you perceive Ledger? 5. Opium dens were legal, and Mary Ellen knew how to find them. Why did she turn to drugs? How effective was the treatment to help her? What was the most important part of her recovery? 6. The Orphan Trains were still running in 1900. Most of the children were not orphans, nor were they given up by their parents. They were poor and the Ladies’ Society thought they were doing a good thing by sending them west to live in the country on farms. What are your thoughts on the Orphan Trains? 7. Elizabeth learned shortly before the national convention that Senator Pembroke expected to be nominated for president of the United States. Considering her past with him, was her plan justified? |
Escape from Iran
The story takes place in the winter of 1977-78, about a year before the Shah of Iran left the country for the last time. Corporations sent employees as well as their families all over the world to work and the expatriate employees didn’t hesitate to send their children “home” for the summer, unattended except for a stewardess. In Iran at that time, while trouble was brewing, most foreign companies still functioned, and many had begun transferring their businesses to nearby countries such as Lebanon and Israel. The people of Iran were and are of a hospitable nature; women were respected. While my family lived there, we did not fear to allow our daughters to walk to the shops, although we prudently insisted two or more go together. The girls rode horses with Iranians as well as students of other nationalities. Boys and girls all rode together. The times were different then, terrorists hadn’t taken to murdering innocent civilians, hijacked airplanes were typically released with no casualties. As with living in any foreign culture, respect for their customs played an important part of our lives. 1. What would you do if you knew you would be going to live in a foreign country? 2. How much would you be willing to adapt your clothing style to be in keeping with the culture of your host country? 3. How would you have felt in Janice's place when her father didn't meet her at the airport? 4. Although it was a Middle Eastern country, the city of Tehran had a cosmopolitan flavor during the 70s. What did you think of Janice's attempts to wear a chador while traveling with Amir? 5. Janice only wanted to save her father. She did not want to take sides in the political arguments and even hoped that Amir would travel to America with her. If you were Amir, what choice might you have made? |