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[akje]

Questions for book clubs. Because book clubs are going to read my book.

I know, sometimes I make myself laugh. ☜(ˆ▿ˆc)

■ In chapter 5, Thaddy says a new fire bomb is sending troops home from the front covered in burns. What's the real cause of those burns?


■ The fictional movie The Clansmen was based on the real life 1915 silent movie Birth of a Nation. The main character in Birth of a Nation is named Elsie Stoneman. What real life star played Elsie Stoneman, and do you think she was anything like her fictional counterpart?


■ There are at least 15 themes in this book. Can you name 10 of them? Answers are here.


■ In chapter 74, President Pettifog says there's payment for everything in life, but the price of the Eudonian health machine is too high. Why is it too high?


■ In chapter 87, Thaddy wonders why Meiko saved them when she was only a machine and presumably incapable of affection. Why did she save them?


■ In chapter 109, Flora mentions the Diamond shirtwaist factory, based on a real life sweatshop of the same name in New York City at the turn of the last century. The real Diamond factory had a sister site, which burned in 1911. Can you name this sweatshop?


■ In chapter 124, Drago says, "The Imperians prioritize differently than we do. They focus their efforts on entertainment and weaponry. I think we all know why." Why do the Imperians prioritize entertainment and weaponry?


■ In the beginning Jarvis frequently hears a little voice in his head, but by the end of the book that voice has stilled. Why do you think this is?


■ Jarvis and Thaddy each have a faulty belief that's overturned by the end of the book. Can you guess what those beliefs are?


■ One of the main themes is utopianism vs. dystopianism. Do you believe that a successful utopia is possible in real life, given the flaws in human nature?


■ What's the significance of air in this story?