The Yellow Bird Sings Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Family Separation During the Holocaust and our BookBrowse Review of The Yellow Bird Sings.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. What is the significance of Shira's bird? How does it aid her? Do you think its original color, yellow, is important or telling? In what ways does the bird's evolution mirror or not mirror Shira's?
2. In the barn, Różahas to keep Shira—five years old and a musical prodigy—silent and still. What are her most effective strategies? Do you think she would have an easier time if Shira was younger or older?
3. When Róża asks Krystyna outright why she is helping them, Krystyna responds, "In God's eyes your child is no different than mine. She deserves every chance to live." What are Krystyna's motivations for harboring Róża and Shira and, later, for arranging Shira's transport to the convent? Do you think Krystyna knows of Henryk's advances on Róża? If so, why doesn't she send Róża and Shira away sooner?

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