Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also, consider these LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for On Immunity:
1. One of the big questions dealt with in Biss's On Immunity is why vaccinations trigger fear and dread in many. To what does the author attribute this anxiety?
2. The author writes, "My son’s birth brought with it an exaggerated sense of both my own power and my own powerlessness. The world became suddenly forbidding." What specifically does Biss fear? Do you relate to those concerns--or do you feel they're an over-exaggeration?
3. What are your personal views on childhood vaccinations? Does Biss make a convincing case—logically, morally, and/or scientifically—in support of vaccinating infants and children? If so, what did you find most convincing?
—> On the other hand, if you remain unconvinced about the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines, in what way did Biss fail to convince you? Where do you disagree with her? Better yet, where does her evidence fall short?
4. Much has been made of Biss's conciliatory language and the overall tone she uses throughout the book. Reviewers speak of her kindness, calmness, even her complicity as a mother. Point to some of the words and phrases she uses to de-escalate the potential for anger.
5. Bliss writes that "a privileged 1 percent are sheltered from risk while they draw resources from the other 99 percent." What does she mean by that?
6. Biss believes that "from birth onward, our bodies are a shared space." Do you agree...or not? Either way, where do our responsibilities lie—for ourselves, as well as for others?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
On Immunity (Biss) - Discussion Questions
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