1. Talk about the role of the lightbulb, that
small pear-shaped device, in changing the face of civilization. Can you
imagine life without it?
2. What do you think about the two great giants of American science and
manufacturing: Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse? Are you surprised
at the manner in which Moore portrays Edison, an American icon? How do
the two men differ?
3. Can you explain the legal suit that Edison initiated against
Westinghouse? In what way did Westinghouse's bulb differ from Edison's?
4. Does Graham Moore do a credible job in breaking down the science of
electricity, especially the differences between AC and DC current?
5. How did Nikola Tesla revolutionize AC current? Do you think it
possible/probable in real life that Edison might have made an attempt on
Tesla's life? Or did Graham add that plot point to build fictional
suspense?
6. How was Nikola Tesla different from the two rivals at the heart of
this story? In what way was his "genius" different from that of Edison
or Westinghouse? What drove Tesla, as opposed to the other two men?
7. Talk about the role of J.P. Morgan and his insistence that the two
men settle their differences. Was his "coup" of Edison's General
Electric fair?
8. In the end, is it possible to actually say who invented the
light bulb? What role did each of the three men—Edison, Tesla, and
Westinghouse—play in its development? Consider this passage from the
book:
For Edison who loved the audience it was the
performance. Westinghouse was different as he loved the products
themselves and he made them better than anyone else. Westinghouse did
not want to sell the most but wanted to make the best. Tesla, the third
leg, only cared for the ideas themselves. Once he had an idea, he was
done, he knew he had solved the problem and moved on
.
* Some questions from
LitLovers.