Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Which parts of Ann Lowe’s story—her talent and her existence as society’s best kept secret—had the most impact on you?

2. The novel’s nonlinear narrative structure begins with an elderly Ann and jumps back and forth in time. Did this approach help or detract from your understanding of her life? Why?

3. What similarities or differences did you notice between By Her Own Design and other historical novels about pioneering women artists you may have read, such as Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring or Joy McCullough’s Blood, Water, Paint?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Ann describes sewing as “my way of seeing the world, of feeling the world” (98). What creative outlets or passions in your life compare to this feeling?

2. Who have been important mentors in your life, in the ways that Mama, Grandma, or Mrs. Lee were for Ann?

3. Which of Ann’s many challenges resonated most with you personally? Why?