Book Club Thu Jul 09 2009

Every Crooked Pot Discussion Questions

Our July meeting is this Monday, July 13. We will be getting together to talk about Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen. I will be using the following questions for our discussion guide. Questions followed by an asterisk (*) are from the reading group guide on author Renee Rosen's website.

1. How would you describe Nina?*

2. How would you describe Nina's relationship with her father? Do you think Artie was too hard on Nina while she was growing up? Do you approve or disapprove of his brand of tough love?*

3. Why do you think Nina's father plays such a huge role in this story? Who is the dominate character in the book: Nina or Artie?

4. How does Nina's birthmark affect her self-perception? Could you relate to her feelings?

5. Nina also exhibits some extreme behavior in her attempts to fit in with her peers at school. Were her actions realistic? Could you relate to her behavior from your own experiences growing up?

6. The story is set in Akron, Ohio, from the late 1960s through the 1970s. How important in the setting and period to the story?

7. At the end of the book, Nina comes to the realization that the childhood she thought she'd had was not the one she'd actually lived. Why do some people tend to block the good experiences while growing up and focus only on the negative ones?*

8. Do you believe "every crooked pot has a crooked cover"?*

— Alice Maggio / Comments (2)