Discussion Questions
This set of questions has been generously submitted to LitLovers by Angela Scott, better known as "Library Princess." Many thanks, Angela.
1. Tom Brokaw is a man who does not slow down, until that is, he is diagnosed with cancer. How does the title A Lucky Life Interrupted reflect this?
2. As a well known public persona, do you feel that Tom Brokaw was a recipient of privileged healthcare due to who he is? Do you feel he received a better quality of treatment than an average person who would go into the Mayo facilities?
3. As a reporter, Tom Brokaw’s job is report on other people’s lives. What do you think of the fact that he kept his diagnosis quiet and hidden for such a long period of time, including from close friends and even his employers?
4. What were your thoughts on the flashbacks of his life throughout the book? Did you enjoy a particularly one over the others? Were they distracting from the story?
5. Tom Brokaw has to deal with mortality as he takes this journey, through the deaths of others who have suffered from multiple myeloma and other various cancers to the death of his brother through Alzheimer’s. How do you think this changed his perspective on life? Which deaths affected him the most?
6. What are your thoughts on cancer? Do you know anyone close who has suffered through it? Would you recommend this book to someone who was going through this disease or their families?
7. He says, "It was a personal goal to remain-to remain unbroken." How did his approach to cancer keep him going? How can a determination to fight make or break a person?
(Questions courtesy of Angela Scott. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution to both Angela and LitLovers. Thanks.)
Lucky Life Interrupted (Brokaw) - Discussion Questions
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