ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. This story ends when Millie is seventeen, the morning after a devastating assault. Millie is still numb and in “survivor” mode when she leaves, and she hasn’t come to terms with the event yet. What do you predict will happen to her?

2. Who is your favorite character in this story? Why? Who is your least favorite character? Why?

3. What is your favorite scene? What scene made you react with the strongest emotions (good or bad)? What scene would you change, and how?

4. Do you think Millie would have left with the rodeo even if Bump hadn’t been with her? Do you think Millie will go to Colorado with Bump or stay with the Cauy Tucker group and compete with Firefly?

5. What do you think will happen to Bill and Diana Miller? Camille? Are you upset that Bill walks away unpunished at the end of the book? Do you think he will suffer consequences in the sequel or do you think some men get away with this kind of behavior, as their victims choose to remain silent, sometimes shamed?

6. What could Millie’s mother, Marie, have done differently to create a better life for herself and Millie?

7. What do you think of the symbolism with the mother dog and her pups? Do you know of any women who are willing to sacrifice their own children’s safety in order to survive? What do you think of Marie? Millie? And Millie’s grandmother, Sarah? Do you see a pattern to the mothering styles of Sarah and Marie? Do you think Millie, if given the chance, will break that pattern?

8. What do you think of the scene in the baptismal pool?

9. How do you like the traveler woman, Babushka? And what do you think about her noticing the shift in Millie from yellow to red?

10. What role do you think Mabel ends up playing in Millie’s life?