ENG120 Cuyamaca College This Is Our Story Book Essay

Final Exam Questions

Make sure you have an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with clear topic sentences, and a conclusion where you summarize your key points.

(Also, don’t forget to bring your 4” by 6” index card with all of the quotes* and notes you will want to use.)

*Successful finals utilize direct quotes from the text.

Questions for This Is Our Story

1.            Kate Marino, the main character of This Is Our Story, plays a role of the amateur detective in the novel. Was this successful? Were you intrigued by the elements of the murder mystery within the text? Was the use of Kate as a detective successful?

2.            Were you surprised by the ending of This Is Our Story? Was the ending of the novel successful or not?

3.            This Is Our Story has a lot to say about privilege, especially surrounding the River Point Boys at the center of the mystery. What might the author be saying about our society and how privilege works? Consider that the group of boys are young, white, male, and rich, and they have access to firearms.

4.            Towards the end of the novel, Shep is named as the murderer, falsely, and the community turns on him. What might the author be saying about mob mentality or the willingness to believe one’s guilt or innocence despite no evidence of guilt be revealed? Consider that by this time Shep has isolated himself away from the other River Point boys.

5.            This Is Our Story has a lot to say about peer pressure. What might the author be saying about how peer pressure works in society? Consider the pressure that the River Point boys put on each other to keep quiet about what actually happened to Grant.

6.            The romance between Kate and Shep is a central part to most of the last part of the novel. Did this work for you as a reader? Was the romantic subplot successful? Why or why not?

 

Questions for The Cuckoo’s Calling

1.            The book’s prologue opens with a quote that translated from Latin reads, “Unhappy is he whose fame makes his misfortunes famous.” How does The Cuckoo’s Calling express this?

2.            Our culture seems obsessed with celebrity, violence, and fame – why do you think that is? What do you think Galbraith (Rowling) was trying to say about these concepts? What do you think the author thinks of our culture’s contemporary obsession with celebrities and fame?

3.            How does the author incorporate social criticism into the narrative and the characters?

4.            Much of the book is devoted to interviews and conversation; as a result, some readers have critiqued lack of action. How did you respond to the dialogue-intensive construction of the book?

5.            Mystery novels are a hugely popular genre — Why do murder mysteries have such a high potential for entertainment value?

o             The author possibly winks at us on this topic: Strike says. “Some might have questioned the taste of finding amusement in the midst of a murder inquiry, but he had found humor in darker places” (362).

 

6.            How does the book tackle race? What does it have to say about race? What do you make of Rowling’s constant racial references in the novel?

o             For example, you could focus on Lula Landry’s mixed race heritage and her exotic and othered role as a supermodel or you could focus on Rochelle, etc…

7.            Why does Strike have to be an amputee? How would the story have been different if he didn’t have a physical problem? Does this physical ailment give Strike strength or piteousness?

8.            In this book, the author is writing about love and grief and how to deal with it. Each of the characters is wallowing in grief of one kind or another, and some in more obvious ways than others. How did this grief influence the actions between characters?

9.            Using a hard-bitten investigator assisted by a young, ambitious “Girl Friday” is a classic detective story trope. What do you think of Robin Ellacott? What role does she play in the story? Is she an integral part? Could Strike have done it on his own without Robin? If so, what does that say about her character and/or the “Girl Friday” trope?

10.          How does the author portray the culture — and the characters — of the worlds of fashion and the very rich?

 

Questions for Shadowshaper

1.            Consider Older’s use of gentrification and displacement as a theme in the novel. How does Older critique gentrification? Do you see gentrification as a positive or negative change to communities, and why?

2.            Female body image is an important theme throughout Shadowshaper. Identify quotes from the novel that tell the reader how Sierra feels about her body and the color of her skin. How do her community, family, and friends contradict or validate these feelings? How do her feelings about her body change as the novel continues?

3.            Do you consider Uncle Neville to be a trickster figure? Why or why not?

4.            According to a review of Shadowshaperby the New York Times, “In the best urban fantasy, the city is not just a backdrop, but functions as a character in its own right, offering up parallels between personal histories and histories of place.” Identify parts of the novel where you see this happening, and how. Consider how Sierra’s shadowshaping skills are deeply rooted in her connection to Brooklyn and her community.