The
Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, February 12th at 7
p.m. to discuss our February book Tenth of December by George Saunders.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here
are some links for additional background and information:
New
Yorker interview
with George Saunders
Discussion
of the writing process with George Saunders and his editor
Brief video review and
analysis of title story, Tenth of December
Coming
up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:
Thurs.
Mar. 12 The
Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Thurs.
Apr 9 At
Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcón (OBOM choice)
Thurs.
May 14 The
Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Thanks
for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends
of the Fairfax Library
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Tenth of December by George
Saunders
"Victory Lap":
- Why do you think the
story is called "Victory Lap"?
- Did you find each
character's train of thought to be believable? Why or why not?
- How would you
characterize Alison and her parents? Kyle and his parents?
- What made Kyle run?
- Did you like the way
Saunders had the action unfold in the story, and especially how the end
jumped to months later and Alison waking from a dream?
"Sticks":
- "Sticks" is
short even by short story standards. What do you think Saunders
accomplished (or was trying to accomplish) in this one to two pages?
7. Do any
difficult people in your life have something equivalent to the poles -- a way
of showing unusual affection or enthusiasm?
8. Why do you
think it is called "Sticks"? What are the sticks?
"Puppy":
9. Do you think
Marie, the woman looking for apuppy, was a good parent? Was Callie, the woman
selling the puppy? Do you think they both loved their kids? Was one parenting
method better than the other?
10. Do you think
Marie called social services about the situation with Bo chained in the yard?
Do you think that would be the appropriate response? Was Callie a fit parent?
11. Marie thinks,
after leaving without the puppy, "it was a nice pup, but Marie was not
going to contribute to a situation like this in even the smallest way"
(41). In the end, though, her actions led to Callie abandoning the puppy in the
cornfield. What does it mean to "contribute" and has Marie already
done so? What do you think an appropriate reaction to the situation would be?
12. How do the
flashbacks to Marie's childhood influence your opinion of her generally and as
a parent?
"Escape from
Spiderhead":
- "Escape from
Spiderhead" could be classified as a different genre than the
preceding stories since its premise is science fiction. Did you enjoy that
change?
- If minds and emotions
could be manipulated through a drip, as in the story, how would that
affect human freedom and responsibility?
- Abnesti justifies his
experiments by saying he is working for the greater good and that the
people harmed have done very bad things in the past. Do you think he is
justified? If prisoners had a choice between regular prison and
Spiderhead, then would the experiments be justified?
- Why did Jeff kill
himself?
"Exhortation":
- What sort of work do you
imagine the workers Todd is addressing do? Can you imagine situations
where his exhortation is good advice or are there some underlying flaws?
- What did Saunders
accomplish by leaving the type of work a mystery?
"Al Roosten":
- Did you like or
sympathize with Al Roosten? Why or why not?
"The Semplica Girl
Diaries":
- How long did it take you
to figure out what an "SG" was?
- The Semplica Girls
provided a science fiction element in an otherwise realistic, domestic
story. Why do you think Saunders chose to use science fiction? Did you
like that?
- Do you think Saunders is
trying to draw parallels between the Semplica Girls and any situations in
our current culture? If so, what?
- One of the last things
the main character writes is, "What could she want so much, that
would make her pull such desperate stunt?" (167). Consider the irony
of this statement in light of the desperate stunts that the main character
has pulled throughout the story. What did he want
so much? What are the different levels of poverty and social ambition
considered in this story?
"Home":
- What do you think
Saunders is trying to convey in "Home"?
"My Chivalric
Fiasco":
- Once again Saunders uses
a science fiction pharmaceutical drug as a key element
in the story. Why do you think he does this? Does the use of the drug
allow him to express something about human nature that would be harder to
show in a realistic story?
- This story, and many of
the others, deals with families in very difficult financial situations.
Discuss how that thread runs through the book and whether you think
Saunders has captured the humanity and struggles within that socioeconomic
class well.
"Tenth of December":
- Why do you think the
title of this story was chosen as the title for the book?
- In what ways do the boy
and old man save each other?
- What do you think
happens after the end of the story?
Overall:
- What did you think about
the science fiction in several of the stories?
- What themes do you think
link the stories in this collection?
- . Most of the characters in these stories touch,
in some way, on relationships with their parents or their children. How
are these relationships generally portrayed?
- Issues of class are at the core of many of these
stories. What does Saunders seem to be trying to convey by using narrators
that come from lower economic status? How do people regard those in upper
or lower classes than themselves?
- Saunders has often been called a science fiction
writer, as well as a satirist. Would you say that is a fair assessment? Do
you feel that the stories in Tenth of December skew towards a certain
genre of fiction? If so, why do you think Saunders would choose to write
in such a manner?
- Each of the stories is written from a character’s
point of view, sometimes alternating between multiple figures. What effect
does that have in how you view the narrator? Can you identify with some;
why or why not?
