Book Club Kits: Lum

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Lum has always been on the outside. At eight, she was diagnosed with what we now call an intersex condition and is told she can't expect to marry. Now, at thirty-three, she has no home of her own but is shuttled from one relative's house to another--valued for her skills, but never treated like a true member of the family. Everything is turned upside down, however, when the Blue Ridge Parkway is slated to come through her family's farmland. As people take sides in the fight, the community begins to tear apart--culminating in an act of violence and subsequent betrayal by opponents of the new road. However, the Parkway brings opportunities as well as loss.

1. What was your favorite part of the book?
2. Which scene has stuck with you the most?
3. What surprised you most about the book?
4. Are there lingering questions from the book you're still thinking about?
5. What do you think of the author’s portrayal of an intersex character?
6. How did the setting impact the story?
7. Was the narrator's voice compelling?
8. How important was the time period or the setting to the story? Did you think it was accurately portrayed?
9. How would the book have played out differently in a different time period or setting?
10. What do you think the author’s goal was in writing this book? What ideas were they trying to illustrate? What message were they trying to send?