Mischling Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Eva and Miriam Mozes and our BookBrowse Review of Mischling.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Did you have any prior knowledge of the medical experiments conducted at Auschwitz ? What struck you most about the plight of those selected by Josef Mengele?
2. Music played a significant role in the workings of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Prisoners were greeted by music at the ramps, and Stasha notes that suicide was frequent among the musicians that provided this accompaniment. The idea of music itself, with its ability to distract from suffering, or to transport one to a life bef ore imprisonment, could often be bittersweet. What place would you imagine music might have in the memories of a survivor?
3. In many of Mengele's studies, one twin was subjected to experimentation, while the other remained untouched. As the spared twin, Stasha is forced to witness Pearl's decline. How does this change her sensitivity towards her sister? What about her relationship with those around her?

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