City Center (Pond) - Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions
1. How do you think The City Center differs from other dystopian novels?

2. In The City Center, each Successor Candidate is working toward Graduation Day so they can become a member of Royal Court, yet they don't know what achieving that position fully entails. Is the author trying to say something here?

3. On the Outside, the people are so much more aware of who they are and connected with nature and God. The characters even quote Ecclesiastes. Does this inspire you or bother you? What are things you do to keep your hope alive?

4. Inside the city everything is dependent on technology, including the residents. They're all plugged into the mainframe. What do you think the author is saying about technology?

5. Chief Morray and his team of Planners design and manipulate DNA coding to create humans for specific needs and vocations. What do you think the author is saying about human rights?

6. The story looks at both sides of society—the "haves" and the "have nots." Who decides what is superior? Who decides what is right for the masses? Do you feel that society today (thoughts, ideas, food, purchases, career choices, place in society) is under attack?

7. Ava's journey is to seek the truth about her city, but along the way she discovers herself. Where do you see this transformation beginning to occur?

8. When Ava discovers the even darker secret about her people, were you surprised? What are your thoughts on that subject matter?

9. What are some of the books that have inspired you in the speculative fiction genre?
(Questions provided courtesy of the author.)

top of page (summary)