Fatherland Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Germany's War Children and our BookBrowse Review of Fatherland.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. When you started this book, what did you think of the idea of Burkard Bilger researching his Nazi grandfather, Karl Gönner? What did you imagine he might find? How did the reality conform to or oppose your expectations?
2. The author's mother tells him, "Each of us carries the seeds of murder and mercy within us. What takes root depends as much on circumstance as character." Explain what she means by this. How have you seen both of these seeds grow in your own family members—or even yourself?
3. "When I think back on the Oklahoma of my childhood, my memories are full of blind spots," Bilger writes. What blind spots can you see now in memories of your own childhood?

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