[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] April Book Club

[nancyyeager542 at comcast.net]

As you know from an earlier email from John,  We changed the April book club
from Wednesday, April 5 to Thursday, April 6.  He also asked me to lead the
discussion in case he and Sandy are delayed on their trip home.

 

Below are some discussion questions for "The Personal Librarian. 

    

 

1. How might you explain Belle's rise to such breathtaking heights in
society and her profession at a time when women --- especially African
American women --- faced such blatant discrimination and exclusion? Did
Belle possess certain personality traits that yielded this incredible
outcome? If so, what are they? What sorts of outside influences contributed
to her ascent?

2. In some ways, Belle's parents had somewhat unique experiences or
backgrounds for African American people during this time period. What kind
of reaction did you have to her parents' histories? How might those
histories have impacted Belle, even when she had not been told the details
of her parents' pasts?

3. How did you view Belle's relationship with her mother? Do you think Belle
resented her mother, or did their relationship change over the course of the
book such that they came to a place of understanding? If so, what was
Belle's turning point with her mother?

4. How would you describe Belle's position among her siblings? How did you
feel about her relationship with them and her responsibilities to them?

5. What sort of reaction did you have to Belle's relationship with her
father? Do you think Belle ever felt deserted by her father in the same way
her siblings did? Why or why not?

6. What sort of pressure do you think Belle might have experienced from the
rumors about her true ethnicity? Do you think J. P. Morgan heard the rumors?
Do you think he knew she was passing as white and decided to ignore it, or
do you think he was unaware of her heritage?

7. What do you think really happened romantically between Belle and J. P.
Morgan? Do you agree with the portrayal in the book?

8. How would you describe the attraction between Belle and Bernard Berenson?
What were the attributes that drew them together and, ultimately, forced
them apart? How did you feel about their relationship --- and Belle's
ability to have a partner and family of her own?

9. What surprised you the most about Belle's life? About her time period?

10. How familiar were you with passing before reading this novel? Has your
understanding of the reasons and sacrifices behind it altered after reading
about Belle's life?

11. What sacrifices did Belle make by choosing to follow her mother's path?
What advantages did she gain?

12. Before reading this book, were you familiar with the Civil Rights Act of
1875 or the efforts toward equality that occurred during Reconstruction? Did
you have any understanding of what transpired in the years after
Reconstruction? What might have happened in the United States in the decades
that followed if the Civil Rights Act of 1875 --- along with the many
efforts at equality that occurred during Reconstruction --- had not been
overturned?

13. How do the racial issues and events in the book relate to events
happening today?

14. In the end, do you think Belle was happy with her choices and decisions?
Do you think she would have done anything differently?

 

Nancy Yeager

 

 

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