The Burgess Boys Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Somali Immigration to Lewiston, Maine and our BookBrowse Review of The Burgess Boys.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How did the narrator's introduction telegraph your expectations about the Burgess family?
2. Jim and Bob Burgess both left Shirley Falls for New York City. Why there, when they could have gone anywhere? And why did Susan stay behind?
3. The Burgess siblings have lived with a childhood trauma their whole lives. How has each one compensated for this in his or her personal and professional adult life?

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