The Kindest Lie Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Talking About Race Matters and our BookBrowse Review of The Kindest Lie.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The novel begins in 2008 with the election of Barack Obama. Why does Johnson choose to open the story at this pivotal moment in history and how does that set the tone for what unfolds in the book? How different would this story be if it began in the present day?
2. Ruth's long-held secret from her past sends her back to her impoverished hometown and threatens to upend the upscale life she's created with her husband Xavier. What does this reveal about being Black in America? What is the cost of that double-identity? Does one ultimately have to choose?
3. When Ruth encounters Black panhandlers in downtown Chicago, she refrains from giving them money; however, she donates to a white family she's never met that lost a child in a Ganton house fire. Later in the novel, she locks her car doors when she sees Black guys jostling in the street. Ultimately, she befriends Midnight, who is white. Does Ruth suffer from internal racial bias or selective classism?

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