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Discussion Questions and Prompts

Here is a brief list of suggested discussion questions if you need help with a topic:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR MEMOIR


  • What aspects of the author’s story could you most relate to?
  • How honest do you think the author was being?
  • What gaps do you wish the author had filled in? Were there points where you thought she shared too much?
  • Think about the other people in the book besides the author. How would you feel to have been depicted in this way?
  • Why do you think the author chose to tell this story?

BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SHORT STORY AND ESSAY COLLECTIONS


  • Which short story/essay did you like best?
  • Which short story/essay did you like least?
  • What similarities do these stories share? How do they tie together?
  • Do you think any of the stories could be expanded into a full-length book?

GENERAL BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


  • What did you like best/least about this book?
  • What other books did this remind you of?
  • Which characters in the book did you like best/least?
  • If you were making a movie of this book, who would you cast?
  • Share a favorite quote from the book. Why did this quote stand out?
  • What other books by this author have you read? How did they compare to this book?
  • Would you read another book by this author? Why or why not?
  • What feelings did this book evoke for you?
  • What did you think of the book’s length? If it’s too long, what would you cut? If too short, what would you add?
  • What songs does this book make you think of? 
  • If you got the chance to ask the author one question, what would it be?
  • Which character/place in the book would you most like to meet/visit?
  • What do you think of the book’s title? How does it relate to the book’s contents? What other title might you choose?
  • What do you think of the book’s cover? How well does it convey what the book is about?
  • What do you think the author’s purpose was in writing this book? What ideas was she trying to get across?
  • How original and unique was this book?
  • If you could hear this same story from another person’s point of view, who would you choose?
  • What artist would you choose to illustrate this book? What kinds of illustrations would you include?

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