Dogs Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The Mental Health Crisis Among American Youth and our BookBrowse Review of Dogs.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. The book begins "What had gone wrong with me didn't start out with the car." Why do you think the book opens with the car, and what literal and figurative roles does the car play throughout the novel?
2. Consider the relationships between each of the friends. What do the power dynamics between the boys look like? What do they give to each other, and what do they take?
3. Discuss the different ways cycles of violence persist. How does your understanding of these cycles influence your opinion of characters who are the perpetrators and victims of violence?

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.