READERS GUIDE
QUESTIONS:- 1. The book’s ending is both tragic and provocative. Why do you think it ends the way that it does?
2. What role does the horror of racism play in the creation of Liberty?
3.Who do you consider to be the victims in the novel? In what ways are the book’s villains also victims themselves?
4. The dinner scene in Chapter 18 exposes some of the founding members of Liberty’s pain and perhaps gives us a glimpse into their reasoning. Why was this scene important to the book?
5. As the genre of social horror continues to grow, what does this book contribute to the conversation?
6. What was your reaction to the ending? Were you satisfied? Were you expecting it?
7. Everyone in Liberty’s oligarchy has a harrowing tale of how their views on systemic racism came to be. Does it justify their extreme solution?
8. Jasmyn is a very judgmental character. What events and circumstances have helped to shape her outlook?
9. This story explores extreme strategies Black people adopt to survive racism. On one end of the spectrum we have Jasmyn, who copes by centering her entire identity around struggle and liberation. On the other end we have Catherine Vail, whose identity seems to be centered around leisure and purposeful aloofness. What is a healthy and balanced approach to managing the ills of the world?
10. What is the role of whiteness and white supremacy in the novel?
11. After Jasmyn’s transformation, she no longer cares about the ills of the world. What does this say about the way in which her humanity has changed?
12. Liberty is an ultra-wealthy, all-Black community. There is much controversy around the idea of self-segregation. Are there merits to a concept like “separate but equal”?
13. Racism and all the ways that it permeates our society are on full display throughout this novel. However, a secondary character is capitalism. How do the two interact?
14. Why do you think Liberty’s founders choose to reassign ultra-wealthy Black people as opposed to folks who are more financially compromised?
15. King’s decision to move his family to Liberty is made in large part because of the untimely death of his brother, but how do you think the dynamic with his boss played into it? If he’d had more career autonomy, do you think he would’ve sponsored the procedure?
16. Pregnancy is often used in the horror genre as a clock and also as a device to magnify the powerlessness of a situation. In what ways did Jasmyn’s impending birth impact your reading experience?
17. Racial reassigning aside, do you think a concept like Liberty is possible?
18. How are Eurocentric standards of beauty used to foreshadow the outcome of the story?
19. Given the option, would you take breaks from the oppressed intersections of your identity?
20. With all the other mounting suspicion Jasmyn has, after Keisha came to dinner with a new hairstyle, would you have been nervous? Would you have done anything differently than Jasmyn?
21. What do you think was the purpose of the psychological exercise Nina Marks gave Jasmyn?
