Is there a quote or scene in The Lilac People that stood out for you? Why do you suppose it resonated?

Book Clubs The Lilac People by Milo Todd Discussion
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Is there a quote or scene in The Lilac People that stood out for you? Why do you suppose it resonated?

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This quote ‘ there was so much disbelief, so much incomprehension of what was happening. Surely things could not happen this way. Surely things could not happen this quickly. Perhaps they would be safe’ resonating so much with me with what is happening these days

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I marked this quote too. Time and time again, I read accounts that people really didn’t believe what was being reported, or for whatever reason just thought it wouldn’t happen to them.

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From the last page, “History isn’t artifacts or pictures or things. History is the people who made them.” … “The history is us, and we’ll keep passing it on.”
This stood out to me as it’s so important that the collective we keep telling the stories of people who aren’t here to tell them anymore. So much of history has been destroyed, whether intentionally or just by time. The documentation may not be there but the people of that time still lived, and their stories have to be carried on.

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The image of the villagers being marched into the prison camp and forced to see the artifacts left behind and the instruments of torture will stick with me.
I always hope that I would have had the bravery to stand up to evil, but I know that many did and died for their beliefs.

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Yes! on page 203, “The erasure of history was an erasure of personhood” Yes!! I think is should say “is” not “was”. We are trying to erase our past now by eleminating all mention of slavery, and LGBTQ+ people. It does damage to those individuals. They ARE human people who we have harmed.And to erase them harms them now and forever. At the end of that paragraph, it says"It hurt his heart", Yes!!!

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“When people hurt bad enough, they’ll grab any idea to make their own lives better, no matter how illogical.” (p. 69)

“A country is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.” (p. 190)

“Inaction is a poison.” (p. 248)

These quotes resonated with me because they made me consider how I would react to such an awful situation. Would I be brave and fight? Would I cower and hide? Would I help others or only focus on myself? Would I be strong enough physically/mentally to survive?

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Emily, That was the first quote that came to my mind. There were so many, and I will find another to include.

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As I read The Lilac People, there were actually a significant number of passages I marked because they were beautifully crafted, resonant, and memorable. This sentence was among them: “A country is only as strong as its most vulnerable people.” Given the strong parallels between the story and current events, that sentence sent chills up my spine because the United States was founded on principles that have been/are being abandoned by those currently in power, and there are many in this country who are vulnerable and being denied due process, access to needed goods and services, and opportunities once assumed to be available to all in “the land of the free and home of the brave.” It is a terrifying and heartbreaking time in America and The Lilac People is a stark reminder of how easy it is to lose a democracy and all the freedoms it provides.

I also found myself contemplating this sentence: “What has happened is beyond human comprehension. It’s beyond sense. All it is, is poison. And if I want to stay human, I have to protect myself.” Karl says that after explaining why he has emotionally shut down, and refuses to feel his grief, intent on never doing so. He suffers not only from PTSD (a term that had not yet been defined, of course), but survivor’s guilt.

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“When people hurt bad enough, they’ll grab any idea to make their own lives better, no matter how illogical. . . . They’re pandering to the people who were already hateful and looking for reason and protection to be so." It’s a perfect description of what has been happening in the U.S. since 2015!!
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