The Lincoln Highway Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Studebaker and the Land Cruiser and our BookBrowse Review of The Lincoln Highway.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How do you think Emmett, Duchess, and Woolly's various upbringings—particularly their relationships to their parents—have shaped them? How have their parents' choices influenced their own desires and ambitions? When you were eighteen, which aspects of your parents' lives did you hope to emulate, and which did you hope to cast aside?
2. Early in the novel, Emmett meets Sister Agnes, a nun who describes the faith of children who look upon a miracle "with awe and wonder, yes, but without disbelief." From the context, it's fairly clear that Sister Agnes is referencing Billy in her remark. How would you describe Billy's personality? While he is the youngest and least experienced character in the novel, one could argue that he has the greatest influence on the other characters. What is it about Billy that makes this so?
3. Throughout the novel, an array of stories is recalled—stories drawn from Professor Abernathe's Compendium, from the vaudevillian world of Duchess's father, from Shakespeare and the cinema. What role do stories play in the shaping of the different characters' lives and personalities? Are these stories a productive or counterproductive force? What story—whether handed down to you from your parents or experienced in a novel or film—had a particularly strong influence on shaping you as a young person?

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