Green Book Movie and Original 1940 Book Discussion Questions for Book Groups

This is a second in #TheNewBookReview's new series of discussion questions on books and book-related movies from a great supporter of this blog, Carolyn Wilhelm. (She's the one who makes our fun badges for authors who participate by submitting their fave reviews!). It seems a great service for #teachers, #parents, #bookclubs, and more. Carolyn is a great resource for similar aids on Pinterest where some of her products are absolutely free! As is this one!

Green Book Movie and 1940 Book Discussion Questions for Book Groups

Kindle eBook B07MR9SPZB 1940 Edition

Paperback 1959, 91 Pages

ISBN-10: 1949996034

ISBN-13: 978-1949996036

Movie

The movie, The Green Book, took place in 1962. Have you seen it? It is similar to but so different from Driving Miss Daisy, as a white man chauffeurs a gifted black pianist to concerts in the south. As it was Jim Crow times and they cross the Mason-Dixon line, their many encounters and experiences change the white driver’s thinking about the difficulty of being black (even if well to do) at that time. Sometimes the characters could not stay in the same hotel or eat in the same restaurant. This movie shows a change of heart as it teaches about those times. Did you know the movie is from the real-life experiences of African American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer Frank "Tony Lip" Vallelonga. I didn’t realize one the screenwriter was one of Tony’s children. The script was based on letters written at the time, and also interviews. Of course, artistic license was taken in a few cases, and there is a little controversy about a few points.

During the same year the movie represents, my family drove from Minnesota to Arkansas to attend a grandmother’s funeral. Closer to the south, my sisters and I were hungry, and there were few places to eat along the way. We spotted a restaurant, and my father got out of the car. He didn’t park up close to the door, which I still remember as being somewhat odd. He walked over, turned around, got back in the car and drove away. “Why,” we asked, almost in tears. He told us they only served white people and we were not eating there.

My whole family was white. Maybe we needed a Green Book for our trip. I’m sure my father used the AAA Travel service, but they probably didn’t think to advise him the same what they advised black people at the time. The books sounds nice until it becomes apparent they are very short.

That was the summer I learned about Jim Crow as it was in the south up close and personal, which left a lasting influence on my life. Of course, Jim Crow was everywhere in different forms. At the time, I did not know The Negro Motorist Green-Book. I’m glad to learn of it later in my life so people could avoid awkward or humiliating experiences. It was written each year with the hope it would become unnecessary. Victor H. Green (1892 – 1960) was a postal carrier living in Harlem when he created the first of his annual Green Books in 1936. The last edition was in 1967, two years after the Voting Rights Act of 1965 became law.

Did you know you can download copies to read for yourself, as well as purchase a 1940 Facsimile Edition on Amazon? Fifty-three whole pages for traveling the entire nation. Hmmm. I did buy that one on Amazon as well as review several free downloads. Here is what I found.

The Smithsonian Digital Volunteers Transcription Center has one year of the book published in the National Museum of African American History and Culture as a free download. Links to other placed it may be viewed and downloaded are also listed on the page.

The University of South Carolina also has a free download for the 1956 Green Book at this link. Both sites have viewers, and I’m aware of other sites that offer viewing or downloads as well.

The book as a primary source document is in many lessons for secondary schools. It is not a book to sit and read, though, it is a book to ponder and realize what was going on in plain sight that many people didn’t understand.

The Negro Motorist Green-Book

Discussion Questions to Consider

Instant Download PDF Questions Handout

1.  Is every state included in the lists? What are your thoughts on why or why not?   
2.  What are the fewest services for a state listed? Discuss the ramifications of traveling through such a state.  Is every state included in the lists? What are your thoughts on why or why not?
3. Is every state included in the lists? What are your thoughts on why or why not?
4.     What is the most popular category in the book: restaurants, gas stations, recreation parks, taverns, liquor stores, garages (service stations), barber shops, hotels, nightclubs, road houses, country clubs, taxis, drugstores, and beauty shops? Why is that the most popular category?
5.     What kind of advertising does the Green Book have?
6.     There is information on how to send a story about using the Green Book for possible publication and five dollars. Describe the story requirements.
7.     What do you notice about the text travel guide pages? What kinds of things are described that might not be in other travel guides?
8.     How do you think this would compare to other travel guides?
9.     What cities have the most services? And even includes things like dance halls, tailors, millinery, and maybe a haberdasher?
10.      Why is a key to Manhattan street numbers included?  
11.      Why do you think there are no maps?
12.      Ferry and Tunnel rates for passenger cards are listed. Why would this information be needed ahead of time?
13. Points of interest in New York City are listed. What is the possible implication of including this list?
14. How do the different editions for the different years compare?
15. What did you learn or realize from looking through this book? 

The Green Book Movie Discussion Questions

Instant questions download -- click here

1. What is the year of the movie setting?

2. How do the two main characters differ?

3. Although Don Shirley did not personally know Tony Vallelonga, he hired him anyway. Why?

4. What did you think of Shirley asking Tony’s wife for permission to take him on tour?

5. Do you feel the events in the story are true to life, and why?

6. Who is holding the Green Book copy of the paperback in the film? Why?

7. Do you think perhaps other groups had similar travel guides then and perhaps now? Do you know of any such guides?

8. Did you previously know about sundown towns?

9. How do they deal with different rules when they both cannot eat or sleep in the same location?

10. Do you think Jim Crow was worse in the south than elsewhere? Do you think Jim Crow was actually everywhere and still is in many ways, or do you think society has improved?

11. The Green Book is based on interviews as well as letters written during the tour. Did you realize the movie was based on real-life before or after viewing? How does knowing it is a true story affect your feelings about the film?

12. There is some controversy surrounding the film. Many films based on true life have to be adjusted for the story to be conveyed through sight and sound. Did you feel it represented the actual truth? Do you think it deserved the many awards it won?  

13. Why do you think Don Shirley wanted it released after his death?

14. How does Tony help Don in some specific situations? Do you think the tour would have been successful without Tony? Do you think without calling Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy the story would have turned out the same way?

15. Tony gets home for Christmas but not because he can finish the drive through the snow. How does the film end?

16. Don Shirley’s degrees in real life were honorary. Do you think in another era they would have been earned?

17. The film is said to show a white savior. Do you feel that is true or do you believe the two men became friends? The family says they had a professional relationship only, but there are videos revealing friendship. Either way, is it important to the film?

18. Would you recommend the film to others? Why or why not?

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS AND ANOTHER FREEBIE

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) It has 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shoutout praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines in the left column of this page or in the tab at the top of the home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at: cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too! 

The Girl with Seven Names Discussion Questions

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Discussion Questions for

The Girl with Seven Names

by Hyeonseo Lee and David John

Free instant download of the questions

I was very taken with this book and read it twice in just a few days. I have been curious about North Korea and bought this and another book very recently. I also know someone who escaped from a different country with a much shorter story, so I found it intriguing. I can't image what so many immigrants went through to get to other countries. 

Here are my discussion questions:

Why do you think Hyeonseo Lee says leaving North Korea is not like leaving any other country on earth?

What does Hyeonseo Lee mean by saying a single Korea does not exist?

How did she feel when she found out North Korea is a byword for evil?

When there was a fire, why did her father rescue the portraits? Who were the people on the portraits?

How and where did her parents meet and how long was it between their first and second meetings? Why was there another wedding with her mother first?

How does Hyeonseo Lee describe the caste system that operates in North Korea?
Why is it impossible to rise within the system?

How did her grandmother’s safekeeping of the cards ensure the family’s high Songbun?

How did the grandmother prevent the marriage for some time, and almost have the baby adopted?

How does bribery work in North Korea? Was Hyeonseo Lee’s family involved?

When did the system with bribery begin?

What were some of her seven names and when did she acquire each?
Her birth name was Kim Ji-hae.
The second name was Park Min-young. Why? When did she get this name?
Who gave her the third name? Chae Mi-ran.
Then she was to be a Korean-Chinese called Jang Soon-hyang. Why?
What were her other names? Why did she assume them?

She lived in several places in North Korea with her family.
What was Hyesan like?
What was it like in Anju?
Then they relocated–to North Korea’s second-largest city, Hamhung. What was good about living in Hambung?

It was at school in Hamhung that she received her initiation into “life purification time,” or self-criticism sessions, a basic feature of life in North Korea since introduced by Kim Jong-il in 1974. How did she and her friends deal with these sessions?

Then the family moved back to Hyesan. Kindness toward strangers is rare in North Korea. There is a risk in helping others. What unusual episode happened when they were going to take the train back?

In Hyesan, the second house they lived in seemed to be cursed. What happened?

Mothers superstitions drove her to fortune tellers. What story from a fortune teller became a kind of deliverance myth, that Hyeonseo Lee would remember in moments of danger?

When and why was winter the time for school vacation?

Aunt Pretty had an appendectomy. Discuss what happened.

The care of portraits was very important. Hyeonseo Lee states:
“About once a month, officials wearing white gloves entered every house in the block to inspect the portraits. If they reported a household for failing to clean them–we once saw them shine a flashlight at an angle to see if they could discern a single mote of dust on the glass–the family would be punished.” How did these inspections control the population?

What is another example of capitalistic thinking in North Korea that could be punished, such as putting clothes on dogs, a well-known example of capitalist degeneracy?

What were the holidays and how were they celebrated?
February 16 Day of the Bright Star
April 15 Day of the Sun
What were the mass games for Liberation Day on 15 August? Why were they the most sacred dates in the calendar?

How did they celebrate the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War (the Korean War) on July 27^th?

Party Foundation Day, on 10 October.

What kind of information was taught in school regarding history?

When was the famine?

Why was there a campaign in 1992 called “Let us eat two meals a day.”

What was the real cause of the famine? Did the North Koreans know the real reason?

How does the North Korean system continue to this day, and how does the organized system of surveillance on every family contribute? Does Hyeonseo Lee think North Korea will change anytime soon?

What did people do on the weekends?

Is schooling in North Korea really free?

What happens if someone in North Korea is caught with a Bible?

Hyeonseo Lee found out her father was not her biological father. How did she react?

What were the classes at school, and what topic was the most important?

What was the math problem example shared in the book?

Are North Koreans able to travel to other countries?

Can they watch foreign television?

Who arrested Hyeonseo Lee’s father?

What are the two kinds of prisons in North Korea?

What was the reason Hyeonseo Lee gave for terrible drunken fights breaking out among men in Hyesan during the public holidays?

What did the mother do when the death certificate of the father said suicide?

Why did school close on the 8^th of July, 1994? What happened over the next days? How did Hyeonseo Lee deal emotionally with these events?

What did the students know about sex? Menstruation?

What besides food was in short supply during the famine? What did school children have to bring to school in order to help?

Did all the provinces experience the famine in the same way at first? How did Hyeonseo Lee know?

How many students in Hyeonseo Lee’s class were in the songbun ‘hostile’ category? What did this mean for their futures?

When did Hyeonseo Lee see Changba? How did she feel looking back at Hyesan?

Why do you suppose there were none of the heavy green military trucks, the most common vehicles around Hyesan in Chanagba?

Her uncle and aunt made her feel instantly welcome. What did Uncle Jung-gil and Aunt Sang-hee do for a living?

She became almost engaged. When did she run away?

Why did Hyeonseo Lee move to Xita, Koreatown? 

What did she learn about South Korea and North Koreans who succeeded in reaching Seoul?

What happened to her at the Police ‘Xita Road Station?

Hyeonseo Lee was attacked with a full beer bottle. What happened and why? Who did she think did that to her?

Four years of frugal living meant that she had saved enough to pay a broker to find her family in Hyesan. It was many years later when she saw them again. Explain the travel and situations that happened, and how it appeared to be impossible several times.

Who were some of the people, bribed and not bribed, who helped her along the way back to Seoul with her mother and brother?

Why couldn’t she tell she was related to her mother or brother on the trip to Seoul?

What is Hanawon? Where is it? What is the curriculum? Who attends?

How long did it take for the mother and son to reach Seoul after Hyeonseo returned again?

Why did Hyeonseo Lee and her then-boyfriend break up when her mother and brother arrived?

What work did the mother do in Seoul? Was she used to such work?

Why did both the mother and the son want to return to North Korea? Did they go back?

What are the two kinds of people who leave North Korea and how do they adjust to living in Seoul? Why?

The book does not have a happily ever after ending. What are the problems people who leave North Korea face for the rest of their lives?

Why was Hyeonseo Lee flown to California? To Australia?

Where did she get married?

How has this book affected you?

Carolyn Wilhelm
Wise Owl Factory

How-To Book for Beginning (And Not-So-Beginning!) Poets

How to Write Classical Poetry

Subtitle: A Guide to Forms, Techniques, and Meaning

Coeditors: Evan Mantyk, Connie Phillips

Publisher: Classical Poets Publishing, 2017; 

156 pages; $19.99

Paperback available on Amazon

Illustrated

ISBN-10: 1546853316

Submitted by Carol Smallwood, author of In Hubble’s Shadow (Shanti Arts, 2017) and In the Measuring  (Finishing Line Press, 2017)

How to Write Classical Poetry: A Guide to Forms, Techniques, and Meaning is divided into three parts. The first is why great poetry is still useful today. The second is how to write specific forms such as the haiku, triolet, villanelle, rondeau, terza rima, limerick, rubaiyat, pantoum, sestina, rhupunt with examples of them as modern and classical poems. The third is ten of the most famous from such giants as Robert Frost, William Shakespeare with discussion about each poem.

As a writer and reader I’ve often wondered what exactly makes a formal poem or a free verse poem and how does a sonnet differ from a villanelle—and what about rhyme and/or meter? Or more basically, what makes meter? The classical forms of poetry in my experience are not often covered in creative writing classes so this guide is most timely. 

An example of its usefulness is the section about the sonnet divided into four levels:

Easy: A Sonnet in 10 Minutes

Medium: Rhyme-y Poetry

Medium-Difficult: Poetry with Rhyme and Structure

Difficult: Sonnet in Iambic Pentameter and Careful Attention to Meaning

    

The guide includes a painting selected as a subject to write about with steps on writing with samples of each level of difficulty in composing.

“The Mechanics of Classical Poetry” a six- page discussion of rhyme and meter: terms to understand better such as iamb, trochee, and couplets, octets. “How to Write a Poem Like ‘The Raven,” a 11 page discussion about how the poem is written (deciphering the meter), a modern example, and writing one of your own.

The Society of Classical Poets, the publishers of the book, was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to foster good poetry as well as formal poetry in 2012. You can subscribe and have free formal poetry e-mailed to you on their website: http://classicalpoets.org. One of the editors, Evan Mantyk is a teacher and the President and Editor and they accept poetry, essays, reviews, and offer competitions, annual journals, and much more on their visually stunning, constantly updated site. The Society has members around the world with a physical location in Mount Hope, New York.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Magic Bullets to Getting Book Reviews (Plus Review Hint #Ten For Getting Them)

ANOTHER AUTHORS HELPING AUTHORS MARKETING TIP
Plus HINT #TEN

by TheNewBookReview Acquisition Coordinator, Lois W. Stern

"Reviews are directly linked to book sales on Amazon because that’s what drives their algorithms. The more reviews you have, the more people will see your book. The more people that see your book, the greater the chances are that someone will buy it, and therefore review it. You see where this is going, right? Due to Amazon’s algorithms, if you have less than 10 good reviews, your book will likely never be seen."

Jeniffer Thompson, Personal Branding Expert & Digital Marketing Strategist, San Diego, Ca.

Two things I know for sure: How important it is to get Amazon posted reviews and how hard it is to get them! So here are a couple of ideas I have tried to make it easier for potential reviewers:
http://www.tales2inspire.com


1.  On a time crunch? Aren’t we all! Suggest that potential reviewers read a specific portion of your book to get its flavor. (Maybe 35-50 pages). Honest, you don’t have to read the entire book to get a good feel for it. 

2. Try offering some discussion questions to help target several key points in your book. I have made it super easy for my readers by posting BOOK REVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS at the end of each Tales2Inspire book. (Click here to view the Book Club Discussion Questions I added to the end of my Opal Collection book.)

3. And be sure to offer folks a FREE book in exchange for an honest review. (Ask that they post it within 30 days or they are likely to forget.)

Science and Religion: A Discussion by Daniel Friedman

Title: The  Broken Gift
Author: Daniel Friedmann
Author's Web site link: http://danielfriedmannbooks.com/
Genre: science/religion
ISBN 978-0978457228
Book Cover: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZDxJYbmgw0/UdNHrcHuWcI/AAAAAAAAA8w/vZ2cSyIR7Ng/s320/The-Broken-Gift-1000x1600-no-subtitle-1.jpg
Available: http://www.amazon.com/The-Broken-Gift-Daniel-Friedmann/dp/0978457226

THE STORY BEHIND THE BROKEN GIFT

In my fourth year at university, some fundamental questions concerning our origins began to re-appear. The research involved in answering these questions at one level took most of my life but most intensely about 2 years. It took a year or so to write it all down and back up every statement with a peer reviewed source or biblical source. Publication of The Broken Gift proceeded over the past 6 month or so.

In discussion with my nephews who experienced a very detailed science education on origins seemingly in conflict with Sunday school teachings were not getting satisfactory answers.  I knew I could get a better understanding of our origins from our two largest sources of knowledge - Science and the Bible.
Many have asked how can one even compare religion and science on this issue- they come from very different points of view? True, but they both claim to know what happened and when - one or both must be right? The Broken Gift focuses on hard evidence of what happened and when - once that account is reconciled it discusses how it happened, which for science and religion is somewhat different.
How did you pick the points to compare? Science has developed a certain timeline of events from apes to modern day. Genesis also contains a timeline of events from the beginning of time until 4000 years ago. I picked the key defining moments of those timelines to compare against each other and to compare and contrast what happened, when and how. This knowledge was exciting and fresh and I was encouraged to write the book, The Broken Gift, sharing what I had found.

So what did I find? That the Bible and science are mostly in agreement as to what happened and how - although not completely on when it happened, and by studying both the Bible and science we can get as close as we have ever gotten to understand how we came to be.

So, how did we get here? Reading The Broken Gift can encourage quality time with your family.  They will enjoy having a discussion about science, religion and the meaning and purpose of life.

 

Whether you agree or disagree. Either way, you will be fascinated! Visit Banyen Books & Sound   November 7th, I will be available to talk with or autograph your book.

ABOUT DANIEL FRIEDMAN

Daniel Friedmann is CEO of MDA Corp., specializing in robotics. He has a master's in engineering physics and 30 years' experience in the space industry. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers on space industry topics. He is also a longtime student of cosmology and religion. Daniel Friedmann has been mentioned in the National Post, Toronto Star and Idea City.  Connect with Daniel Friedmann on https://www.facebook.com/pages/Genesis-and-Science/141524692605591
and at http://danielfriedmannbooks.com/.

SUBMITTED BY:

Yvonne Wu
Internet Publicist | Author & Speaker Assistant
The YP Publishing
Canada: 905-341-0997
USA: 1-347-674-9951
http://theyppublishing.com
http://speakerspromotion.com/

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  The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Carolyn Wilhelm Offers Book and Movie Guide on Life on Our Planet

Title: A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

Author: Sir David Attenborough

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (October 6, 2020)

Publisher Website

Publisher Contact

ASIN: B089CKYNT9

ISBN-10: 1538719983

ISBN-13: 978-1538719985

Pages: 272

Price: Kindle $14.99, Audio Book $12.99, Hardcover $23.40, Audio CD $26.00

Format: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover, Audio CD

Film: Available on Netflix

 

Sir David Frederick Attenborough is an English broadcaster and natural historian. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC.

Discussion Guide Instant Download Link

A Life on Our Planet describes his lifetime and the climate changes he witnessed first-hand. It is an autobiography not of him but planet Earth during the Holocene and Anthropocene. The Holocene, he says, was 10,000 years of our Garden of Eden. The Anthropocene is the next period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment, most likely since the 1950s. And, you have probably guessed, it is the time of global warming and could end in the disappearance of human civilization. He says we need to save ourselves, not the Earth. The Earth has survived five previous mass extinctions and will continue.

Discussion questions based on the book: 

1.     How is humankind different from all other species, and why did this cause the climate difficulties we are now facing? 

2.     Homo Sapiens, people, are no longer changing physically, so what is changing about us now? Provide an example. 

3.     What does Attenborough say about human mistakes and bad planning (at the beginning and end of the book)?

4.     What is the true tragedy of our time? 

5.     What is one dire possible outcome? What consequences could cause mass migration by 2100?

6.     What is a better and still possible outcome? What do we need to do to have this better ending?

7.     Are solutions available now? What are some examples of countries demonstrating progress?

8.     Why is modern life unsustainable? What is the definition of sustainability?

9.     Why is eating meat and dairy such a problem for the climate?

10. What are the leading causes of climate change and global warming? 

 

His latest movie, also his mission statement, A Life on Our Planet, may be his best work ever. Oblivious to climate change as a young man, he realized the importance of saving the planet – wait, not the Earth, but ourselves. The planet will continue. We may not. 

He provides simple answers to correct the course we are on, damaging Earth, animals, biodiversity, and ourselves. We already know what to do to save life on Earth. Will we do so?

Discussion questions based on the book:

1.     Attenborough states Earth is a life support machine. What does he mean? 

2.     He mentions biodiversity many times. What are some examples he provides of how are we dependent on biodiversity? 

3.     Ice at the poles helped during the Holocene Epoch (the past 10,000 plus years and currently). What did they do for our planet? 

4.     Attenborough says there was a stable air temperature in the 1990s. The Earth was actually warming as something was masking the problem. What is his explanation? 

5.     Discuss: 15 billion trees are cut down each year on Earth. Did you know before watching the film?

6.     How do no fish zones increase fish populations? What country’s policies illustrates this truth?

7.     In a single day, he said there is more than enough solar power from the sun to do what? 

8.     How does eating meat impact climate change? What does he say a person is “saying” when he or she eats meat?

9.     The Netherlands was held up as a country using innovative farming techniques as they do not have more land. They used fewer chemicals to grow more food. What else did you notice in this segment? 

10. Attenborough says we need to work with nature, not against it and mentions several methods of doing so. Have you noticed efforts in this direction? Why are they important?

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm

More About Carolyn Wilhelm:

Carolyn Wilhelm, a veteran educator, owns Wise Owl Factory LLC  and reviews for Midwest Book Review  and The New Book Review where she occasionally writes study guides for film and books like this one.  She is the author of  Change Captives 2035 and Project SAVE . Learn more about her:

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About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the form at https://www.bit.ly/FinishedReviewSubmissions. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. And know that Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert, award-winning author, and veteran educator, makes an award image especially for those who volunteer to write reviews from Lois's review-request list and post them in the spirit of her "Authors Helping Authors" project. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca Discussion Questions

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablanca by Tahir Shah

This book elicited quite strong reactions from our Global Reads for Grown-ups Facebook book group readers, particularly on the question of whether Shah relied on cultural stereotypes and caricatures in his portrayal of Morocco.

Amazon 

• ASIN: B015QNQ6R6
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385608071
• ISBN-13: 978-0385608077

1) What did you think of the book? Would you recommend it?

2) On p. 19 of my edition, Tahir Shah writes "In the West we are driven by an extreme form of guilt - if you are not seen to be working like a dog, you're perceived as being slothful. It was very clear that things in Morocco were quite different...I found people rushed about only when they needed to, and not because they knew others were watching them."
Do you agree that people in the West feel guilty for relaxing? (Or that they don't feel this guilt elsewhere?)

3) Here is a quick overview of Edward Said's concept of Orientalism and how it still shapes Western views of the East today. Do you think The Caliph's House played into these stereotypes? Did he do anything to dispel them?



4) The book begins with Tahir Shah signing the papers on his new house when they are interrupted by suicide attacks in Casablanca. What effect does it have starting the book with this effect? Why did he choose to do this?

5) [Reader question] What did you think about the family relationships in the book?

6) Did you have a favorite character?

7) Overall, would you say The Caliph's House paints a flattering portrait of Morocco? Or of the expats living there? Would you want to move to Morocco based solely on reading this book? Why or why not?

8) Have you ever lived abroad? If so, how did your experience compare with the one portrayed in the book?

9) Thinking on books about where you are from (or where you live now) was there one that really got it wrong? What book really got it right? What book do you recommend about where you are from (or where you live)?

Thank you for reading! This post was written by: 

Leanna is a homeschooler with three sweet, funny, rambunctious children.  She draws inspiration from the Writings of the Bahá’í Faith and tries to raise her Monkeys in a fun, spiritual, loving environment.  She and her husband, who is from Costa Rica, are raising their children to be bilingual and bicultural but more importantly to be “world citizens.”  All Done Monkey is dedicated to sharing this journey with you!

Leanna is the founder of Multicultural Kid Blogs.

Interview on Bilingual Kids Rock podcast

Interview on Global Mom Show podcast

Featured website on Bahá’í Mom Blogs

Carnival Lights by Chris Stark Book Club Discussion Questions

Title: Carnival Lights
By: Chris Stark
Publisher: Modern History Press
Publisher Website: https://www.modernhistorypress.com/
Author Website: https://www.christinestark.com/
ISBN-10: 1615995781
ISBN-13: 978-1615995783
Price: Hardcover $37.95, Paperback $24.95, Kindle $6.95
Page Count: 268
Formats (HC, PB, Kindle)

With good reason, two teens run away from a reservation and get jobs at the Minnesota State Fair. Although the book has a linear story within the pages, it also has a spiraling story going back generations explaining how families pass down their problems. Society also hands down its ills, of course.

"The grief of her people lived within her and was a way of knowing, with or without her conscious understanding."

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 221). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

What a read! Oh, my. This book hit me especially hard being a resident of northern Minnesota as well as Minneapolis. I walked exactly where the girls walked, went to the fair, and understand 1969 - the setting of the book. I was about their age in 1969. Of course, I was aware of the poverty in the Native American reservations. However, we attended Pow Wows and visited some people, so that I was unaware of the danger to women and children. I have been to Duluth dozens of times and cannot again pass through there looking at the ships with ignorance. We lived in Grand Marais on Lake Superior and I knew there was trafficking, but thought it was all at the border for some reason. 

10 Discussion Questions for Carnival Lights

Download your free PDF by clicking this link

1. How does Stark set up the first chapters so we are convinced Sher and Kris had no choice but to run away? What are several of the convincing reasons provided? 

2. Did you expect the girls would get to the fair rather quickly and experience problems there? What surprised you about the book with generational stories interwoven with the experience of the girls' bus trip and arrival in Minneapolis?

3. Why did the girls spend several days in downtown Minneapolis? Who did Sher call, thinking they might find help? How did they get food? The Vietnam war protest added drama as well as helped explain the times. How was Kris always going ahead and doing things while Sher wanted to hold back?

4. How do they meet Tricia? Why does she say the following:

“Get this,” the woman said, “a couple of farm girls showing me the city.”

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 118). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

5. Why do they decide or were told to leave several of the places they briefly stayed? What was the one place they wanted to stay? Why?

6. When in Minneapolis, Stark again sets up the reasons why the girls do not try to find help. Why would they not reach out to a social worker? Why do you think the church where they sat on the steps asked them to leave, probably knowing they were in trouble? 

7. How does the author explain most of Sher's family acceptance and knowledge of her as contrasted with what her mother thought:

"Sher’s mother had admonished Sher for her broad shoulders, her narrow hips, and wearing her brother’s hand-me-downs, as if these oddities sprang from Sher alone, and did not come from the loins of her parents, from her family, from the Creator."

Stark, Chris. Carnival Lights (p. 195). Modern History Press. Kindle Edition. 

8. Were you expecting Sher and Kris would meet different people and find different problems than they did? How were the things that happened to them in Minneapolis worse or better than what you thought? 

9. Why do you think they didn't go home but remembered the good people and things that happened? Their memories helped them cope. Could they have gone home? 

10. The foreshadowing of the ending strongly suggested something terrible would happen. Did you expect what happened or not? How did close calls to people who seemed to think about helping them add to the plot's tension? How was the ending both happy and sad? 

Why do you think Stark wrote this book? What was the overall message? 

Carolyn Wilhelm, Reviewer 

BS Elementary Education, MS Gifted Education, MA K-12 Curriculum and Instruction

Wise Owl Factory LLC

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing