Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Bright Hour … then take off on your own:
1. Nina Riggs has written a remarkable memoir—about a facing down a deadly disease—and done so with courageous and even, at times, humor. Find passages that strike you as particularly brave or inspirational or witty or sad. What passages stand out to you in terms of their sheer emotional power?
2. Riggs poses a question we all grapple with, but for her its answer was most urgent: what makes a meaningful life, particularly when that life is to be cut short? How does Riggs answer that question? How would you answer it?
3. The book's title comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "That is morning; to cease for a bright hour to be a prisoner of this sickly body, and to become as large as the World." What does the passage mean and what is its significance to the memoir?
4. Talk about how the death of Riggs' mother, Jan, affected her? Consider how painful it must have been for her mother to know she couldn't be there for Nina when she needed her.
5. After her surgery, Riggs' doctor dissuaded her from reconstructive surgery—"That's a survivor issue. We're not there yet." Was that a proper response on the doctor's part? How might you have felt had you received the answer: angry, fearful, or grateful for the honesty?
6. Talk about her husband's Epilogue and Acknowledgements. What does he reveal about himself in his writing and about his and Riggs' relationship?
7. Riggs wrote: "There are so many things that are worse than death: old grudges, a lack of self-awareness, severe constipation, no sense of humor, the grimace on your husband's face as he empties your surgical drain into the measuring cup." Do you agree that there are things worse than death? If so, what would you add to that list?
8. Overall, how did you experience The Bright Hour? Have you read Randy Pausche's The Last Lecture (2008) or Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air (2016)? If so, is Riggs' book similar to either one in tone and message?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
Bright Hour (Riggs) - Discussion Questions
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