The History of a Difficult Child Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Guerrilla Groups in the Ethiopian Civil War and our BookBrowse Review of The History of a Difficult Child.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Do you think Selam is a "difficult child"? Why or why not? What makes someone "difficult," and how might the culture and environment in which you are born determine this?
2. Why do you think nearly the entire book is told in Selam's voice? What perspective does a child narrator give the story, and what might be missing from that viewpoint? How might the story change if it were told by Degitu, Asmelash, or even the former servants?
3. One day the Asmelashes are landowners, the next they've lost nearly everything and are ostracized by their community. For many residents of the Small Town, moral authority is determined by the governing regime. What do you think grounds the Asmelash's value system—politics, religion, family history, national identity, or something else? What about in your own life?

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