Hollywood Park (Jollett) - Discussion Questions

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 HOLLYWOOD PARK … and then take off on your own:

1. In the opening lines to his memoir, Mikel Jollett says, "we were never young." What does he mean?

2. Why did Jollett's parents join Synanon? What were they looking for, and what did the cult promise its members?

3. (Follow-up to Question 2) Describe the practices at the commune and what eventually drove Mikel's mother to leave.

4. Talk about the aftermath of the cult and the affect it had on the family, especially on Mikel. Consider, too, his relationship with his older brother, Tony.

5. Jollett's mother, Gerry, was hardly an ideal mother. Did she love her sons? Eventually she was diagnosed with a mental disorder. Were you surprised?

6. At the age of 11, Jollett goes to live with his father, who, he had been told by his mother, was a terrible person. What did he learn about Jimmy? What role does Jimmy come to play in Mikel's life?

7. How did Jollett's upbringing affect the way he related to women—but not just to women, to many, if not most, people? What was the facade he erected, and why was he hiding behind it?

8. Jollett ponders the pain engendered by his trauma. He writes, "How long can you live with ghosts before deciding to become one?" What does he mean? How does he confront those ghosts? What mental processes does he journey through in order to overcome his past?

9. What role did music play in Jollett's journey through pain? What insights does he gain into his own emotional state which helped him understand his life?

10. (Follow-up to Question 9) Do you think painters, writers, performers, and musicians, use their creativity as a way to explore and/or express their personal pain?

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

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