Monday, August 27, 2018

An Invisible Thread, Laura Schroff & Alex Tresniowski


An Invisible Thread

By Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

 (Tansley Reads Rating: 71%)

Hand out group cards after everyone is settled in- Three groups of 4-5

Ice Breaker

– every group will have one but read it out to all – say they have’ til about 8PM to

discuss all three questions

At the beginning of the book, the title is explained by an ancient Chinese proverb. “An invisible thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance.  The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break.” Who do your invisible threads connect you to?

 

Group 1

1.  Why do you think Maurice throws Laura’s business card away?  How does trust influence the early stages of their friendship?  What about later in their relationship?

 

2.  In a relationship based on trust why did Maurice lie about why he wanted $300?

 

 

 

 

 

Group 2

1.  Why is Laura so adamant about obtaining permission from Maurice’s mother so he can attend the Mets game yet doesn’t attempt to do this for the interview with his teacher?

 

2.  Laura was initially careful to maintain boundaries between her and Maurice, ensuring that she was a friend to him and nothing more.  At what point do you think their relationship changed from a friendship to something more akin to a mother and a son?

 

Group 3

1.  What kind of role does love and affection play in Maurice's life and in Laura’s life?

 

2. Knowing the area and conditions Maurice lived in, why did she buy him an expensive bike?  Was she not concerned about it being stolen?  Given what you know about Maurice’s street smarts, do you think the bike was really stolen or did Maurice sell it?

 

Gather everyone back together and have the groups go through their questions and their discussion.  After each group presents ask for general discussion on their questions.

 

Group Questions

 

1. An Invisible Thread introduces readers to some of the realities of poor families living in large metropolitan cities.  How would you characterize Maurice’s family life?  How would you characterize Laura’s family life?

 

2. Laura’s family life growing up had a significant impact on her and her siblings, especially in terms of what they wanted for their own families. Based on Laura’s descriptions, how would you characterize the type of live each of her siblings chose to live?

 

3. Laura writes that, “Sometimes we are drawn to that which is exactly the same” alluding to the impact that familiarity can have on one’s comfort, regardless of how bad the conditions may be.  How does Laura’s life stray from this idea?  How does she embrace what is different?  What about Maurice’s life?

 

4. Rituals are an important element of An Invisible Thread.  What were the daily rituals in this book and how were they significant?  Do you think rituals are important in everyone’s lives?

 

5. How did you interpret Michael’s initial rejection of Maurice?  What role did this rejection play in Laura’s decision to divorce him?

 

6. Do you think that this book was completely accurate in its portrayal of Laura and Maurice’s relationship?

 

7. Is there anything in this book that wasn’t covered that you would like to discuss?

 

8. Fast round – What was your overall opinion of this book?

No comments:

Post a Comment