Calico Joe (Grisham) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)

Also, consider these talking points to help start a discussion for Calico Joe:

1. Calico Joe has been referred to as a fable. Why? What is a fable and how does it differ from a realistic novel?

2. Talk about the book's theme of reconciliation. What prompts the final act of reconciliation in this book? What, in fact, spurs any act of reconciliation? How does the novel reflect real life, perhaps your own, in which finding common ground, putting aside anger, and offering forgiveness seem at times insurmountable?

3. Some readers feel the story's characters lack depth; others feel they're beautifully developed. What do you think? How would you describe the three main characters, especially Warren, who, despite the book's title and narrator, is perhaps the story's central figure? (Then, again, perhaps, it's Paul.)

4. If you're a baseball fan, how well does John Grisham describe the game as it's played on the field? Does he make the game come alive for you? If you're not a baseball enthusiast, does your lack of passion for the game make Calico Joe less engaging?

5. Why do you think Grisham chose Paul, the son, as narrator? What difference does it make in how the story gets told?

6. What do you think of the book's ending? Is it satisfying? Is it predictable or surprising?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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