Kin Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Atlanta's Black Bourgeoisie and our BookBrowse Review of Kin.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. We are all born into stories that are already underway. Do you think Annie's and Vernice's trajectories were ordained by the mothers they never knew? How much are their paths paved by their own decisions? What role does chance play in their journeys?
2. Annie and Vernice are both motherless, but their circumstances are different. Vernice knows that she will never see her mother again, but Annie harbors hope for a reunion. Which of them is in a better position?
3. On page 50 Babydoll attempts to demonstrate that she has Annie all figured out. She describes her as shy and calls her a princess. Annie thinks to herself, "Nobody would for one second think to call me shy if I stood next to Niecy ... " (50). In what ways do Niecy and Annie need each other to define themselves?

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