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Alaska isn’t about who you were when you headed this way. It’s about who you become.
“The political problem of mankind is to combine three things: economic efficiency, social justice, and individual liberty,”
― The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes
― The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes
“I hope reading this book leads you to think about what happiness truly means for you and your family, how you define it, the lengths you’ll go to achieve it, and what assumptions each of us makes about nonspeakers, people with disabilities, immigrants, people of color, our family members, and ourselves.”
― Happiness Falls
― Happiness Falls
“Reading Group
Questions and Topics for Discussion 1. Maya Angelou begins her autobiography with a moment of public humiliation in church. Why do you think she chose this scene in particular? Do themes in this scene reappear throughout the memoir? 2. To Marguerite, her mother seems alternately charming elusive, unreliable, and strong. Which episodes in the novel illuminate her character? Do you think she was a good mother? 3. Mrs. Flowers “encouraged [Marguerite] to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (this page). What are some of the maxims that Angelou remembers hearing from Momma and Mother? Did any of these maxims strike a particular chord with you? Are there examples of “mother wit” that you remember from your own childhood, or pass on to those around you? 4. Angelou describes Marguerite as “superstitious” (this page). Can you find some examples of Marguerite's superstition? 5. How does Angelou describe her molestation and later her rape at the hands of Mr. Freeman? Were you surprised by her emotions? Was this terrible experience the defining moment of the novel or of Angelou's childhood? Why or why not? 6.”
― I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Questions and Topics for Discussion 1. Maya Angelou begins her autobiography with a moment of public humiliation in church. Why do you think she chose this scene in particular? Do themes in this scene reappear throughout the memoir? 2. To Marguerite, her mother seems alternately charming elusive, unreliable, and strong. Which episodes in the novel illuminate her character? Do you think she was a good mother? 3. Mrs. Flowers “encouraged [Marguerite] to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (this page). What are some of the maxims that Angelou remembers hearing from Momma and Mother? Did any of these maxims strike a particular chord with you? Are there examples of “mother wit” that you remember from your own childhood, or pass on to those around you? 4. Angelou describes Marguerite as “superstitious” (this page). Can you find some examples of Marguerite's superstition? 5. How does Angelou describe her molestation and later her rape at the hands of Mr. Freeman? Were you surprised by her emotions? Was this terrible experience the defining moment of the novel or of Angelou's childhood? Why or why not? 6.”
― I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
“Buddhism, the Four Immeasurables. “There are four good things worth practicing. Being kind toward everything alive. Staying level and steady. Feeling happy for any creature anywhere that is happy. And remembering that any suffering is also yours.”
― Bewilderment
― Bewilderment
“You don’t become obsessed with happiness, trying to maximize it and experimenting to calibrate it, unless it’s a mystery. If you’re already happy, if it comes easily to you, you don’t need to ponder it. It’s only if you can’t attain it that it consumes you.”
― Happiness Falls
― Happiness Falls
Dan’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Dan’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Dan
Lists liked by Dan
