47 Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, High John The Conqueror and our BookBrowse Review of 47.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

About This Book

An orphaned youth, born into slavery, discovers that his brutal circumstances need not prevent him from taking the inner journey to self-awareness and personal responsibility that ultimately define freedom.

When the cruel plantation owner determines that 47—a fourteen year-old who has never been given a proper name—is old enough to labor as a field slave, 47 is suddenly immersed in the adult world of abject bondage. Soon after, he meets an adolescent runaway, Tall John.

Totally unlike many other memorable characters crafted in brilliant novels set in the Antebellum South, Tall John has run to slavery through worlds unfathomed. 47 embarks on a fast-paced human drama and "scientific" journey with Tall John into worlds beyond and deep inside himself to discover ultimate freedom.



Note to Teachers, Librarians, Group Leaders

This is not your mother's or grandmother's slavery novel. Young readers will find little here of the pathos of slavery that so easily bores and tires. It is peopled with those who are enslaved, yet they are empowered human beings. The book urges young readers to fully imagine teen years spent doing slave labor and simultaneously to envision unknown worlds of personal potential and victory.

47 is a book that will attract young urban males and suburban ones who aspire to the image, with its unforced inferences to the contemporary enslavers of prison and intra-group violence. While quite character-driven, the novel is replete with continuing action, scientific vision and highly imagined hardware, all of which fully engage teen and preteen boys, who are frequently kinesthetic learners. Books with such depth that will also easily engage adolescent boys are rare.  Girls and adult readers will also enjoy the plot and character development that is a trademark of Walter Mosley's writing style.

While excellent for individual reading and as a base for essays and papers, this book can be useful far beyond the classroom.  Group activities and discussions can easily flow from it for a wide range of gatherings as diverse as "Jack and Jill" socials to "Police Athletic League" gang prevention activities.  



Pre-Reading Activity

1. Slavery, then and now:
   What do you know about slavery and where did you learn it?
   Are movies and books about slavery historically accurate?
   Most people would rather watch a movie or read about any other subject than slavery. Why?
   Give some reasons people don't talk about slavery. Specifically, whites, blacks, elders. Is it necessary for young people today to think about slavery?
   Introduce this question with a contemporary DVD or music clip where the word "slavery" is used or a black person is seen in shackles.
2. Choices=Freedom:
   This book hinges on the principle that people have choices. No matter how constricted, there is always some choice. Ask youths to describe a situation where they felt they had no choice. Then examine the circumstances carefully and make a written list of the choices available to them.
   What are things that prevent us from realizing our choices when we are in situations where we feel we have no choice?
   What are factors that prevent us from acting on our choices? Is there anyone, anytime who has no choices? Finally, what are the responsibilities that come with the freedom to make choices?
3. Names:
   What I call myself/What I call you if we're alike/What I let those who are not like me call me: Most names get meaning by who uses them, what they are used for, how they are used, when they are used and where they are used. Do you have a nickname that only certain people may call you?
   What are those people really saying about you when they use that nickname? How do they use the nickname; give an example.
   What are the occasions that you're likely to be glad to be called by your nickname, and what are some when you wouldn't?
   Where are you comfortable being nicknamed and where do you prefer using your real name?
   How much of how we feel about nicknames applies to group names?
   What is the difference between a name and a label? Why do some groups embrace their pejorative labels and other groups don't?
   How about a number representing who you are (i.e. a social security number, a student ID number, a driver's license number)? Does this practice diminish you as a person?
   In what instance has society used numbers to glorify an individual or group of individuals (sports figures)?

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