Book Club Discussion Questions
Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
Introduction
Returning to Idlewild, Michigan and some of the characters who captured readers'
hearts in her bestseller,
What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, Pearl Cleage
writes a beautifully realized work about modern times, second chances, and
making a difference in other people's lives. Joyce Mitchell, widowed too young,
has a full life as a social worker, one filled with purpose and good friends.
But she's begun thinking about putting aside the black clothes she's found so
easy to wear for so long and getting a red dress. She is also realizing that she
needs something more in her life. When her best friend, Sister, fixes her up
with the tallest, sexiest man she's ever met, she sees all sorts of
possibilities -- and too many reasons why it's the wrong time to fall in love.
And Joyce has to quickly figure out what to do with the Sewing Circus, the
all-girl group she founded to provide day care services and counseling to local
girls, many of whom are single mothers. For many of these young women, the
Sewing Circus is a lifeline amid drug problems and abusive relationships. But
the government has decided not to fund her program, and Joyce is desperately
looking for alternatives...while one of the Sewing Circus members finds herself
fighting for her life in this provocative and blazingly frank look at
contemporary African American issues and universal matters of the heart.
Discussion Questions
- One of the characters, Sister, makes up a list of questions for discussing
movies at the Sewing Circus's film festival. She begins with: "Do I
believe this character exists in the real world? Do I like her?" Apply
this question to the novel's protagonist, Joyce.
- What does Joyce's "red dress" symbolize?
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- How does the author develop themes of identity and belonging throughout the narrative?
- What role does the setting play in shaping the characters' decisions and relationships?
- Discuss how the ending reframes the events of the story. Were you surprised?
Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of HarperPaperbacks.
Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.
