Hachette Livre

Hachette Livre Reading Group Guides

Welcome to our Reading Group guide for Red River by Lalita Tademy. We invite you to consider and discuss the following questions when reading this book:

  1. Gender boundaries are very clearly defined in RED RIVER. Are they always accepted? How much are they defined by the time, the situation, and the community? Is it hard for us to appreciate this today?
  2. 'It is a tricky balance to be a coloured man, keeping both body and spirit alive when the choices you make to preserve the one so often threaten to kill the other'. How do the different characters in RED RIVER embody the difficulty Israel identifies in this quotation? Which of the characters is successful in overcoming it?
  3. Lalita Tademy's descriptions of the thoughts, emotions and activities of the men at the schoolhouse are extremely powerful. Do you feel that the author explores the same depth of character in the females featured in the book?
  4. The story of RED RIVER is interspersed with historical documentation, photographs and drawings, reminding us that the book is based on the true story of Lalita Tademy's ancestors. How does that affect your interpretation and enjoyment of the story?
  5. The importance of Sam Tademy's name is a recurring theme throughout the novel. Why is it so important to him, and to the community? Are we able to truly comprehend the significance of this today?
  6. How effective do you find the symbolism of McCully’s 'voting hat', passed down from generation to generation?

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