Reading Questions, Part 2

Alright – so we’re officially back in school. I’ve already been getting feedback from MSU freshman about Double Take, and it sounds like it’s creating some good discussion! So to add fuel to the fire, here is the second set of reading questions from the One Book-One Bozeman website

Hit the jump for the full list of questions, as well as comments and discussion…

8 ) How do you think “the Dirtbags” in chapter 6 helped to shape Kevin’s view of disability?

9) On pages 104-105, Serge tells Kevin a darkly humorous joke about a three breasted prostitute. Despite the vulgarity of the joke, Kevin insists that similar humor is important to shoulder aside the weight of reality. Do you think that it is right to laugh at such jokes? Perhaps relate this joke to the “black humor” that doctors engage in.

10) In chapter 17, Kevin catches himself staring at a man missing an arm and a leg – effectively doing the same thing he has caught others in the act of. What does this say about human nature and the act of staring? Is it something that should be controlled, or considered morally reprehensible? Is there a right or proper way to stare at someone?

11) Is Kevin Connolly disabled? Explain your answer.

12) On page 159, Kevin scrawls in his journal the rules for his photo project: Shoot every person that passes. Keep moving – never stop to frame your subject. Never make eye contact – give them permission to stare by looking the other way. Don’t try to attract people’s attention. Discuss what the rules allow, don’t allow, and their purpose.

13) In chapter 12, Kevin relates his experience crashing into an avalanche fence post to the feedback of his friends and family after he receives an X-games silver medal, “you go for broke?” How does Kevin interpret “going for broke” and how would you describe it? How does “going for broke” impact Kevin’s life and how does it impact your own?

14) The man on the skateboard with the Pomeranian at Venice Beach asks Kevin “what’s your gimmick” (see page 162). What do you think of his assumption that Kevin and he are colleagues and of Kevin’s reaction? What is the problem with assuming someone’s story from a single impression?

15) On the bus after he leaves Beth (see pages 209-210) Kevin experiences compassion, not pity, although he shares that the two responses look very much the same. Why in this situation do the looks make him feel linked to the people around him, whereas in other situations similar looks make him feel singled out and different? Do you think that this difference and the effect of the situation on Kevin is a result of Kevin’s perception or are compassion and pity inherently very different?