Hi everyone! Welcome to our first book club discussion :)

This board will be for people to discuss major details, ask questions, and generally discuss the book. I will post the discussion questions I have found, but please do not feel constrained by them. They are merely a tool to get conversation rolling if we are having trouble with what to talk about.

Thank being said: Let's set the date for finishing this book as May 23rd (a Sunday) so we all have a week to really get into the good details on this book.

I am SO thrilled to be doing this with everyone, and can't wait to see what is said about our first book.

Book Club Discussion Questions 

1. How does Diane Ackerman's background as a naturalist and a poet inform her telling of this slice of history? Would a historian of World War II have told it differently, and, if so, what might have been left out?

2. Reviews have compared this book to Schindler's List and Hotel Rwanda. How would you compare them?

3. Did this book give you a different impression of Poland during World War II than you had before?

4. Can you imagine yourself in the same circumstances as Jan and Antonina? What would you have done?

5. How would you describe Antonina's relation to animals? To her husband? How does she navigate the various relationships in the book, given the extreme circumstances? Is her default position one of trust or distrust?

6. Do people have a "sixth sense" and how does it relate to "animal instinct"?

7. Some might judge Jan and Antonina guilty of anthropo-morphizing animals and nature. Would you? Why or why not?

8. Can nature be savage or kind—or can only humans embody those qualities? As science and the study of animal behavior and communication teach us more and more about the commonalities between animals and humans, is there still any dividing line between the human and the animal world? If so, how would you describe it?

9. The Nazis had a passion for animals and the natural world. How could Nazi ideology embrace both a love of nature and the mass murder of human beings?

10. The drive to "rewrite the genetic code of the entire planet" is not distinct to Nazism. What similar efforts are alive today? Are there lessons in Jan and Antonina's story for evaluating the benefits and dangers of trying to modify or improve upon nature? Do you see any connection between this story of more than sixty years ago and contemporary environmental issues?

11. Genetic engineering of foodstuffs is highly contentious. So are various reproductive technologies that are now common, such as selecting for—or against—various characteristics when choosing from sperm or egg banks. How would various characters in this book have approached these loaded issues? (Questions from author's website.)

Great questions you found for discussion, AggieBride. Looking forward to answering them when i get closer to finishing the book.

I doubt most people are ready to start discussing the actual questions just yet, but I thought maybe we could do a "check in" of some sort.

Can we talk about.... (And without really discussing plot so as not to give anything away for anyone or confuse anyone)

• where you are in the book (page/chapter wise)?
• do you like Ackerman's writing style in this book?
• How do you feel about the book in general so far?

I'm around chapter 15, and the writing style was hard for me to get into at first, but I'm starting to get into the book. I think it's an interesting writing style, like reading a really really well written history textbook. I think it is really neat how the author used actual personal accounts to weave together the story.

Great questions!

I'm only on Chapter 7. I'm reading a little bit each night or so but I'm kind of having a hard time really getting into the book. I like her writing style, but I'm not sure I like how she goes about writing the book, if that makes sense. Each time I seem to start to really get into the story, as a novel, the author will throw in "She might have seen such things as" or "It was likely that" and that throws me off and bothers me. Like you said, AggieBride, it sort of feels like a well-written history book. I'm hoping i'll get more into the book as I read more!

I'm only in chapter 3 :( (i know..i'm sloooow lol) and i agree that Ackerman's writing style is a bit different than what I'm used to. I like dialoge and so far i don't think there's been any which makes it difficult to read.  It's definitely been hard for me to get into due to the "historical" way it's written.

I'm on chapter 9 and I definitely agree with everyone -I'm having a difficult time getting into it -but I know it's important to tell the back story. I'm determined though :) I think the key is to read a bit every day -when I stop for a couple of days I have a hard time getting back into it.

I feel the same way schneffer- I'm reading just a bit at a time. If I stop for a while I can't pick it up as easily. :)

I realized one of the issues I am having is usually the books I read from this era are from first person perspective. I think that may be one of my problems, but I am really getting into the characters that are being developed.

I'm still making it through and I completely agree with aggie that I love seeing the characters develop!