The Mother Code Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Archaebacteria and our BookBrowse Review of The Mother Code.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. There are two time lines in The Mother Code: the earlier one telling the story of the adults, and the later one telling the story of the children and their Mothers. The author chose to tell these stories in parallel, switching back and forth between the two time lines in the first half of the novel before merging them. Why do you think this choice was made? How might you have viewed the story differently had it been told chronologically from beginning to end?
2. In The Mother Code, the author eschews the portrayal of "superheroes," "evil scientists," and "cruel dictators." Do you think that there are clear protagonists or antagonists in this story? If so, who and why?
3. In chapter 35, Kendra and James are surprised by the nonverbal communication between the children and their bot Mothers. How important was this novel mode of communication to the relationships between the children and their Mothers? Do you rely on nonverbal communication in your life?

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