1. Jeanne Stewart says,
"To assume that a woman, any woman, is completely innocent is to be
completely naïve." Is she right?
2. What was your first impression of Jeanne? Do you like her? Is she a
feminist or a traditionalist at heart, or both?
3. Jeanne says that most women have secrets, "Pretty big ones, if I do
say so myself." What secrets did people have in this book? Is it true
that most women have secrets? Do you have secrets? Do people tell you
their secrets?
4. What character did you most relate to in anger management class? What
personal growth, if any, did you see in Bradon, Becky, Soman, Jeanne,
and Emmaline? Was there a session that you would have liked to take part
in? Do you need anger management?
5. Soman says he has, "sluggin’ problems." he also dresses like a woman
to relax, gets in bar fights, and falls in love with Becky, an ex
addict. Where do you see Soman in five years? Ten? Will he and Becky
still be together?
6. Bradon King says...
Every year more black kids
drop out of school. Every year no one cares. I think the
schools are glad to see 'em go. But then what happens to
them? They’re teenagers, Jeanne. Kids. And their future
is, at that moment, zero. Why doesn’t anyone care?
Because the kids are black? You can damn well bet that
if a bunch of rich, white sixteen year old girls all
started dropping out of school and selling drugs on the
corner that people would be screaming their heads off
and demanding change. And change would happen
.
Is that true? How would you describe Braden?
7. Is Jeanne a heavy drinker or is she an alcoholic?
8. Jeanne becomes very close to the Lopez family and is, herself, one
quarter Hispanic. She clearly sympathizes with their plight and the
plight of the migrant workers. What does this tell you about her
personally?
9. Did the migrant devil deserve his punishment?
10. Jeanne said, "All women, feminist or not, have a right to take
action against condoms that are worn by cheating men." Do you believe
this? What does the peanut oil and condom incident tell you about
Jeanne? Why do men cheat? Why do women cheat?
11. Jeanne assaulted her ex boyfriend with a condom and peanut oil
knowing he had a slight allergy to peanut oil. She helped to bury the
body of a man whom she thought her friend had shot. She actively
participated in a bar fight. She committed perjury at her trial when she
said she only put in two drops of peanut oil per condom. Is she a
criminal?
12. If Jeanne came to dinner at your house, what five pieces of advice
would she give you about your life?
