Maine Reading Questions

Families are an odd thing.  They help us grow, they guide us, they are the keepers of our histories, and they are who we share our joys and sorrows with.  Maine is the kind of book that helps you look at four sides of what it can be like to be a member of a family.  I personally come from a family that in some ways reminds me a good bit of the Kelleher family.  We spend time together when we can and there is usually a great deal of food and laughter.  Some of that I think is a big part of the fact that we all originate from the South, and the other part is that I think that was something fostered in us by our elders.  Having said that, there is not nearly as much drama with my family like there is with the Kelleher's.  This book was the September reading for the student organization I sponsor.  It wasn't my favorite book, but I did keep reading it mainly because I wanted to know what was going to happen with each character.  Not the most satisfying finish, but it is one of those that kinda makes you fill the void with your own ideas. 

Magpie
 

If you had to choose one word to describe the overriding theme of Maine, what would it be?

Which of the women in the novel would you say is a good mother, and why? Who resents motherhood the most?

Discuss how each of the four main characters—Alice, Kathleen, Maggie, and Ann Marie—approaches religion. Who seems to have the most comfortable relationship with God?

What was Alice’s motivation for changing her will? Why did she wait so long to tell her family?

Speaking of secrets, many of the characters in the novel keep substantial secrets for one reason or another. Whose is the most damaging?

What role does alcohol—and alcoholism—play in the novel? How do the characters use alcohol (or abstain from it)?

What does Ann Marie’s obsession with dollhouses tell us about her character?

Why did Daniel’s death have such an impact on the family?

What did you think of the revelation about Mary’s death? Was Alice right to blame herself?

How did Ann Marie misread Steve so completely? And why does Kathleen’s witnessing the event change her attitude towards Ann Marie? Why do you think Kathleen reacted the way she did?

What kind of mother do you think Maggie will be? Who will she take after most: Alice, Kathleen, or Ann Marie?

Discuss the last lines of the book: “She prayed until she heard footsteps behind her, coming slowly down the aisle, a familiar voice softly calling out her name: ‘Alice? Alice. It’s time.’” Is this Father Donnelly, Daniel, or someone else?

Which of these women would you like to spend more time with? Are there any you’d never want to see again?

“Even after thirty-three years of marriage, Ann Marie sat at every family dinner and listened to them tell the same stories, over and over. She has never met a family so tied up in their own mythology.” (page 140) What is the mythology of the Kelleher family? Who is helped the most by it? And harmed the most?

Quiet pages 97 - 129 Reading Questions

There are times when I'm doing the reading that I get so into it that I forget to take notes and create questions as I go.  Having said that, after reading this section, I am fighting the urge to go hang out at my friends house and do experiments on her newborn son.  Anyway, I don't have a ton of questions for this week's short reading, but as always feel free to make suggestions.

Magpie

What has helped you as an introvert to overcome your introversion?  If you aren't an introvert, but you know one, what have you seen work for them?

Have you seen evidence in yourself or others that being an intro/extrovert is a part of their nature?

On page 104 they discuss how companies like Disney reinforce the stereotype of what an introvert looks like.  Do you find when you imagine what and intro/extrovert looks like you have a stereotype in mind?

Have you ever seen outside factors influence whether or not someone will grow into an intro/extrovert?

Do you agree with Kagan that there are many routes to becoming an intro/extrovert?

Do you agree with Cain that given the right environment while growing up a child can change the temperament they were born with?

Can you think of someone you know who has found ways to become an extrovert despite their nature introversion tendency?  Did it work or is it really just a façade?

Schwartz's research shows that we can stretch ourselves but only up until a point.  Do you agree with this? (p117)

Cain gives several examples of how introverts can learn to find their comfort levels in social situations while allowing themselves time to decompress.  Do you think that now you will begin to learn to play the "sweet-spot game" in order to be more comfortable in your surroundings?

Quiet Reading Assignment III

This week we will be reading and discussing pages 97 - 129.  It looks like it's going to be an interesting read. 

In the meantime I got a link to another good article by one of the participants. 

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3495-Workplace-Issues-The-power-of-introverts-in-the-workplace/?SiteId=cbmsn43495&sc_extcmp=JS_3495_advice


Introvert seems to be the catch word these days and I'm seeing it pop-up everywhere, even on silly blogs.

http://www.janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.ca/2013/09/fanny-price-introvert-is-she-unfilmable.html

There Is No Dog Reading Questions

Sometimes the students pick a book that we all just love, sometimes, they like it and I don't, and sometimes they pick one we all don't like.  That was the case with There Is No Dog.  I always tell them, come prepared to talk about why or why you didn't like a book.  And they came prepared.  We also talked about how we would have written it differently or how we would have changed it.  The larger majority of the students felt like it was just a rough draft that got published anyway.  Some felt that had more of the details (like the flood) been more realistic they could have followed along.  These students have seen what real storms and flooding look like, and there are no romantic dates on boats during a flood! 

Below are some question on the reading if you liked the book, give me some feedback on why you did!
Magpie

While reading did you make the connection with not only the Bible but other mythology stories?  What effect did that have on you while reading?

Can you think of other books or movies that use similar ideas of taking well known stories and base new stories off of them?

Does it ever feel like a teenager is responsible for the events in your life?

What was the moral of this book? (the students asked this one)

How do you think that Earth would have turned out if Mr. B were God all along instead of Bob?  Or were they a good combination?

Could our world work with the combination of Gods and humans living together?

Bob asks if there would be any point to life if things were great all the time.  He also points out that hope is a dangerous thing.  What do you think? 

Why do you think it was Bob who was transferred instead of Mr. B?

Was what Lucy experienced with Bob love?  Do you think she will have a more realistic version of love with Luke?

Were you offended by the books slant on theology?  Why or why not?