Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, death, and graphic violence.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does Thomas’s decision to open the novel with Starr at a party in Garden Heights set the tone for the rest of the story? What expectations did this create for you, and did the novel meet them?

2. The novel shares themes with other works about racial injustice, such as Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. How does Thomas’s contemporary setting add new dimensions to this ongoing conversation about systemic racism?

3. What was your emotional response to the contrasting portrayals of Garden Heights—as a dangerous place (from outsiders’ perspectives) versus the tight-knit community Starr describes?

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

1. Throughout the novel, Starr code-switches between her Garden Heights self and her “Williamson Starr.” Have you ever felt pressure to present different versions of yourself in different environments? How did this affect you?

2. The novel explores how silence can be both protective and destructive. Reflect on a time when you struggled with whether to speak up about an injustice you witnessed.