© 2008 Mary de Wit

Requiem for a Redneck is filled with many of our most compelling issues. The characters battle drug addiction, question religion, succumb to foibles, and all of this makes for great discussion.

 

To get your book club started, here are a few discussion questions that will get club members talking.

• How does your impression of rednecks change as a result of this book?
• What role does the narrator provide in the story?
• What points of conflict exist for the characters because of substance abuse?
  
• Contracts, promises... how are these defined and honored?
  
• What things and what character traits are most valued in the book’s redneck society?
• How does this portrayal of rednecks differ from Jeff Foxworthy's?
  
• Who are the rednecks in your life? Do you think of them differently because of this book?
  
• What moral stances are taken around the topic of conquering substance abuse?
  
• What about redneck logic and honor make you change the way you look at your own?
• What are your impressions of the relationships between men and women husbands/wives as presented in the book?
• In what ways does Louann grow/change over the course of the book?
• How do the rednecks deal with technology? What place does it have in their lives?

Requiem for a Redneck is proving to be popular among book clubs. That’s no surprise, given the book’s easy readability, gentle humor, and poignant situations.

 

Read what one book club veteran has to say about the book:

“In my 18-years-strong book club, we base our choices on readability, topics of interest, enjoyment, and our belief that the book will offer up subjects of meaty conversation. Our favorite books tend to have insight and originality--books that broach topics about which we know little, that help us examine ourselves and our society. For this month, I chose Requiem for a Redneck, a relatively unknown book that had been mentioned on FaceBook, where I first bought the book directly from the publisher. It should become well-known. Why? Because it opens the door to rednecks--a world which is normally only ridiculed--with respect and humor, and gives us the paradigm shift and awareness we seek in our books.”

                                                                                               --M. DEWIT, Kingsport, TN              

Have a book club story to share? Can you think of any other discussion topics or questions?

John is available for appearances at reading groups in the northwest Georgia area. You may also schedule a phone visit for your group.

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