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About the The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
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0
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26
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November 21, 2024
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Overall, what did you think of The Berry Pickers (no spoilers, please!)
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29
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105
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December 7, 2024
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How does Norma's feeling of being stuck between worlds come out in the story? In what ways might other characters feel a sense of duality or out of placeness?
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2
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12
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December 4, 2024
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What audience would you recommend The Berry Pickers to? Is there another book or author you feel has a similar theme or style?
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7
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41
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December 4, 2024
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June tells Lenore that “kids don’t even start to form actual memories until they are five or six” (p.35). Do you agree with this? What’s your first memory?
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13
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37
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December 4, 2024
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The family receives very little help from the authorities when Ruthie goes missing. How do you think this scenario would have been different today? What factors do you think influence a quick response when someone disappears?
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14
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46
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December 4, 2024
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If you were going to write a novel based on stories of family history your parents told you, as Amanda Peters has here, where would it be set and what might it be about?
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10
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36
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December 2, 2024
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After Ruthie goes missing, what do you think keeps the remaining family members bound together? What do you think pulls them apart?
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13
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46
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December 2, 2024
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Is there a quote or section of the book that had special meaning for you? Why do you think it resonated?
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13
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46
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December 2, 2024
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You might say this story is ultimately about forgiveness. Are you able to find all the major characters redeemable in some way, or are there any you cannot forgive?
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19
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56
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December 2, 2024
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Have you ever discovered a family secret? How did it change your relationship with the people around you?
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5
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24
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December 1, 2024
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What did you think about Lewis, Joe’s father, faking a stereotype to make more money from wealthy recreational hunters?
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9
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31
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December 1, 2024
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Why do you feel Norma had so much difficulty maintaining relationships? Do you have friends from childhood or college, or have you lost touch with most friends from earlier days?
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9
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28
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December 1, 2024
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In the end, why do you think Norma's mother did the very drastic thing she did?
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16
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48
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November 30, 2024
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On page 7 there’s an exchange between Joe and his father regarding Frankie, the town drunk. Joe is told, “[B]e kind to Frankie. You never know when you might need kindness from people.” How do you think this plays out throughout the rest of the novel?
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5
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21
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November 29, 2024
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When did you figure out the relationship between the two storylines, and how did it make you feel?
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21
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52
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November 27, 2024
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Did you prefer Joe's voice, Norma's, or the combination? Were there other characters you wished could give their point of view?
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13
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40
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November 27, 2024
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How does Ruthie's disappearance echo tragedies and atrocities in the broader history of Indigenous peoples? Have you learned more since reading the book?
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3
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21
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November 27, 2024
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How do you feel the opening line sets the scene? What expectations did it give you for the story, and were those fulfilled?
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7
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25
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November 27, 2024
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Mae ends up being Joe’s caretaker, much to his surprise (“I would never have imagined Mae as the caring type” – p. 47). Do you think this side of her was always buried within, or did she change over time? Why do you believe this?
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8
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23
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November 27, 2024
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Why do you think art-making becomes so important in the story? Are there other themes that jump out at you about making a meaningful life after loss?
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1
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11
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November 25, 2024
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