Discussion Questions
1. Jeanne Stewart says, "To assume that a woman, any woman, is completely innocent is to be completely naïve." Is she right?
2. What was your first impression of Jeanne? Do you like her? Is she a feminist or a traditionalist at heart, or both?
3. Jeanne says that most women have secrets, "Pretty big ones, if I do say so myself." What secrets did people have in this book? Is it true that most women have secrets? Do you have secrets? Do people tell you their secrets?
4. What character did you most relate to in anger management class? What personal growth, if any, did you see in Bradon, Becky, Soman, Jeanne, and Emmaline? Was there a session that you would have liked to take part in? Do you need anger management?
5. Soman says he has, "sluggin’ problems." he also dresses like a woman to relax, gets in bar fights, and falls in love with Becky, an ex addict. Where do you see Soman in five years? Ten? Will he and Becky still be together?
6. Bradon King says...
Every year more black kids drop out of school. Every year no one cares. I think the schools are glad to see 'em go. But then what happens to them? They’re teenagers, Jeanne. Kids. And their future is, at that moment, zero. Why doesn’t anyone care? Because the kids are black? You can damn well bet that if a bunch of rich, white sixteen year old girls all started dropping out of school and selling drugs on the corner that people would be screaming their heads off and demanding change. And change would happen.
Is that true? How would you describe Braden?
7. Is Jeanne a heavy drinker or is she an alcoholic?
8. Jeanne becomes very close to the Lopez family and is, herself, one quarter Hispanic. She clearly sympathizes with their plight and the plight of the migrant workers. What does this tell you about her personally?
9. Did the migrant devil deserve his punishment?
10. Jeanne said, "All women, feminist or not, have a right to take action against condoms that are worn by cheating men." Do you believe this? What does the peanut oil and condom incident tell you about Jeanne? Why do men cheat? Why do women cheat?
11. Jeanne assaulted her ex boyfriend with a condom and peanut oil knowing he had a slight allergy to peanut oil. She helped to bury the body of a man whom she thought her friend had shot. She actively participated in a bar fight. She committed perjury at her trial when she said she only put in two drops of peanut oil per condom. Is she a criminal?
12. If Jeanne came to dinner at your house, what five pieces of advice would she give you about your life?
(Questions courtesy of the author.)