A Council of Dolls Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Books About Native Residential School Experiences and our BookBrowse Review of A Council of Dolls.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Sissy's dad says of her beautiful but violent mother: "Your mama is great at fighting for us, fighting for our community. Sometimes people take their anger and use it in a good way." How does Sissy's mama channel her rage in a positive way? Does it compensate for the damage her anger does otherwise?
2. What role does Ethel the doll play in Sissy's life? In the final climactic scene of Sissy's narrative, she hears Ethel say "I took care of it. Somebody had to." How did you interpret that? Do we gain any additional insight at the end of the book, when we hear Ethel explain her own version of events?
3. As you learned more about Jack's and Lillian's childhoods, did that change your understanding of who they became as adults? Did you feel differently about them when you saw them as children versus how you saw them as parents?

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