Every book includes certain elements that can be used
to help formulate questions for discussions. Here are some questions to think
about as you read a book.
Title
What do you think the title means? Is there any double meaning? How does it
relate to the story?
Setting
In what time period is the book set? Where does the story take place? Would it
have the same impact in another location? How does the time period/place affect
the characters' actions and decisions? Does the theme of the book relate to its
setting? How?
Character
Which character(s) did you identify with most strongly and why? Which did you
like least? Is the story's perspective shaped by the sex of the central
character? Are the male or female characters more vividly and completely
described? What roles do the major and minor characters play in the story? Do any of the characters seem to be stereotyped? Does this
add or detract from the book?
Plot
What is the book's central event? What are the causes of the event? What are
the results?
Conflict and Resolution
What problems/challenges do the characters face? Are the characters free to
make their own decisions? Does destiny or fate seem to play a role? Are
conflicts neatly resolved or left undecided? What choices do the main
characters face? How do their decisions affect their own lives and the lives of
other characters? Why does a character make a particular choice?
Theme
What is the book about? What ideas drive the story? Does the story address
contemporary values and concerns or is it dated? Is the theme relevant today?
Author
What is the author's view of life, the world, society, and human relationships?
What do you think the author was trying to suggest in this book? Did he/she do
that effectively? Do you feel this book included autobiographical elements?
Elements of Style
What is the point of view? How is the story told? Who is the narrator? How does
this narrator's point of view affect the telling of the story? Was the book
driven by the plot, an idea, or the characters? Is there symbolism in the book?
Do events unfold chronologically, or are they fragmented? Does the author's
writing style/use of language add to the book, or make it more difficult to
read? Is there enough background information given so the story is
understandable? Does the author use humor? Why?
The Book as a Whole
Is the book believable? What is the book's greatest strength or most serious
flaw? What other books that you have read could this one be compared to? Would
you read another book by the same author? Would you recommend this book to
someone else?
