Thursday, February 16, 2012

Discussion Questions for March


The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and the Dawn of the American Century
By:  Scott Miller

Note:  I don’t expect everyone to answer every question.  Please feel free to respond to as many or as few as you wish.  Thanks for taking the time to read this book!

1.  What do you think about Miller’s decision to begin the book with an account of the day of the attack and then jump backwards in time and work up to and beyond this event?  How about the way he alternated the focus of chapters, shifting from McKinley and the U.S. to Czolgosz and the anarchists and then back again?

2.  Being as this is an election year, how do you feel about the way early 20th-century presidential campaigning was portrayed in this book, particularly compared to today?

3.  Consider the growth of mass production, consumerism, and materialism in the United States during the beginning of the 20th century.  Were the gains worth the cost?

4.  During this period, imperialism was considered critical for American growth and trusts continued to gain power, despite how this contradicted the United State’s core principles of freedom and equality for all people and free competition in the market.  At what point does the pursuit of economic success go too far?

5.  Do you feel the anarchists were justified in some of their beliefs?  What about their actions, particularly the “propaganda of the deed”?

6.  How do you feel about the way the police and American judicial system dealt with the anarchists?  Did they get what they deserved, or did emotional outrage get in the way of justice and the implementation of due process?

7.  Do you see any parallels between the events of the early 20th century and the world today?  What are some lessons our country can learn from its past?

8.  [Add your own questions or comments!]

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Is Henrietta Lacks Immortal?

1.       The book raises a lot of ethical issues concerning patient rights.  Which issues does it raise and what is your stance?
2.       The book also relates a lot of information about the treatment of blacks by the medical profession such as the quality of care they received and their use in research studies.  Which stories did you find most interesting or alarming?  What kind of consequences, both social and scientific, did these incidents have?
3.       Rebecca Skloot went beyond writing a book about the HeLa cell line.  She alternates between the story of the cells and the process of researching for this story.  Why did she choose to provide a first person account of her interactions with the Lacks family and with scientists as she worked to write this book?  Do you think this was an effective technique?
4.       Trace the changing relationship between Skloot and Deborah.  Why was it so difficult for Skloot to earn Deborah’s trust?  In what ways did their friendship change them and their attitudes toward Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells?
5.       Luckily, this book has a Reading Group Guide.  Feel free to add your response to any of the questions in the book.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Here are the discussion questions for Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.


How well do you think Seth Grahame-Smith blends actual historical events with the fictional elements in Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter?

What do you think about the book's portrayal of Abraham Lincoln?

How much do you like the book's portrayal of vampires?

What do you find most interesting about the book, and how do you like it as a whole?

What is your favorite part of the book?

What do you like least about the book?

Are there any other comments you wish to make regarding Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter?

--ccp

Monday, October 31, 2011

Hello Anonymous Readers!

Welcome to Readers Anonymous the University of Houston’s online book club. To your right is a schedule of books we are going to read each month. The first book will be Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, so the member who suggested that book will post discussion questions by Nov. 10.


If the book you recommended is on the schedule, you are responsible for posting at least five discussion questions by the 10th of the month. Discussion on that book will continue until the 10th of the following month.
Please post any questions, comments, jokes, videos, observations, etc. about the book of the month on this thread.
Happy reading!
Your Online Book Club Team,
Christine Granados
Diana Lopez
Zoeann Byerly