Stories from the Tenants Downstairs Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Rent Control in New York City and our BookBrowse Review of Stories from the Tenants Downstairs.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. In "Rent Manual," Mimi keeps a running tally of her finances as she goes from gig to gig to make rent. Why might the author have chosen to begin the collection with Mimi's story? What are some themes that are introduced here, that will recur throughout the book?
2. Consider the sequence at the end of "Rent Manual," when Mimi and Fortune go to the grocery store across town to buy diapers. During this scene, Mimi recalls a time when her mother was made to feel out of place at a similar grocery store. How (if at all) do you think this memory influenced the decision she makes at the very end of the chapter? Based on what you've read, how do you understand Mimi's relationship with her mother?
3. Open your book to "The Okiedoke," and read from the text break on page 54 to the end of the story. In your opinion, what might the heat described in the final two paragraphs of the story symbolize? Do you think Swan's perspective on his friendship with Boons develops between the beginning and end of the story? If yes, how so?

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