Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Human Body by Paolo Giordano

1. What might have motivated Lieutenant Egitto to request prolonged active duty? Especially considering how much his sister, Marianna, was expecting his return home?
2. When Egitto first reports to FOB Ice after the stomach virus outbreak and sees that Torsu is in particularly critical condition, he observes the care with which the soldiers have treated him. He recalls preferring to call a nurse instead of taking action on his own when his own father was sick, and asks himself: What kind of doctor feels disgust for a man who's suffering? What child refuses to care for his father's body? (p. 69). Do you have answers to these questions? Is Egitto, in the end, this type of man?
3. Early on at the FOB, Marshal Réne is preoccupied with how to ask Rosanna to terminate her pregnancy. By the end of his tour in Afghanistan, he feels differently. Why do you think he changed his mind?
4. On the battlefield, Ietri considers that it is necessary for him to stay alive, not only for himself, but to spare his mother another devastating loss. What might have been a consequence of her overbearing parenting in Ietri?
5. There is a passage at the beginning of the chapter "Death Round," just before the troops embark on mission Mama Bear, which reads: "The Military does not distinguish between body and soul; it provides for and commands both." Do you find this to be true in the book or in real life?
6. On the battlefield, Zampieri goads Cederna by suggesting that Ietri is no "verginella" after all, and kisses him publicly on the face. Was this an act of kindness for her crestfallen friend or was this the kiss that sealed Ietri's fate?
7. In the ambulance, "Cederna wipes Ietri's face clean with water from the canteen and speaks softly in his ear (p. 232), which Egitto thought was a waste of time, but hadn't the heart to object to." Do you think Cederna truly cared for Ietri? Or is he really a wolf, as he describes himself? Is it possible for him to be both?
8. Is Egitto justified in his skepticism of Irene upon her arrival? What were your impressions of her visit and her intentions, official and unofficial?
9. Is it guilt or concern that brings Marshal Réne to park in front of Camporesi's widow's home night after night? What do you make of their eventual union?
10. Ultimately, Egitto takes full responsibility in the trial for approving Turso for combat when he was not physically ready. Why does he do this when he could have fought the accusation?
11. In his description of the first time he smoked with Abib at the FOB, Di Salvo says that he realized the statue he was looking upon was death, but "it wasn't death like you imagine it. It was like ... indifferent. It couldn't care less about me" (p. 45). Was this a sign of things to come for the men? For Di Salvo?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Pamela Dorman Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.