QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. If someone you love was planning to go into a dangerous situation because she thought God was leading her there, what would you say to her?
2. Do you think it was right for Verity to take her young daughter along with her into such a dangerous situation? Why or why not?
3. How could a good man fight for slavery? Why did Dacian Ransford and Robert E. Lee choose Virginia over the Union?
4. Could the North have done something differently after the Civil War in order to prevent what happened to former slaves after the Radical Republicans no longer controlled Congress?
5. How did Verity begin to change the negative attitude in Fiddlers Grove?
6. Why was Verity’s work of charity so important to her?
7. Compare and contrast Samuel, Matt and Dace. What made them friends when they were children?
8. Do you agree with Samuel’s reasons for running away? Why or why not?
9. Have you seen or read Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell? If so, do you think Hannah and Elijah would accept the portrayal of the slaves after emancipation in that watershed novel? Why or why not?
10. What did you learn about this historical period that you hadn’t known before?
11. Look up verity in the dictionary. Do you think this is an appropriate name for the heroine of this book? Why or why not?
12. Do you think there was any way to avoid the Civil War?
13. If you’d lived during the Civil War, how would you have argued with anyone who justified slavery by pointing to references in the Bible?
14. Why do you think the South could not accept the end of slavery and the equality of black people?