Have you read the author’s previous work, There There? If so, how do the books compare? How do you believe Wandering Stars reinforces and adds to the themes presented in the earlier novel?

Book Clubs Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange Discussion
1

Have you read the author’s previous work, There There? If so, how do the books compare? How do you believe Wandering Stars reinforces and adds to the themes presented in the earlier novel?

2

There’s the obvious level of Star as the surname for one family whose generations wander across the country, having been uprooted from their ancestral homeland, language and culture. There’s also that connection Opal learns from her mother, Bird Woman: “The stars are our ancestors.” They are a “guiding light to our darkness…” Members of the Star family in each generation are looking for that guiding light as they wander metaphorically, looking for a way to belong, to matter, to find a way to be “at home” in America as much as in a family.

And on another level, we all are, as human beings. It is a fundamental need we all share.

3

I have not read There There but after reading this book I plan to. He is an excellent writer.