QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. The WARDs answered the call of duty during a very intense time, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the fear of invasion was real. If asked, do you think you would have stayed in Hawai‘i and joined, or would you have preferred to evacuate to the Mainland? What other ways did women contribute to the war effort?
  2. Did you know about the Women’s Air Raid Defense program prior to reading this book? If so, how did you hear about it? If not, were you surprised to learn about it? Did you learn anything new about the attack on Pearl Harbor and its aftermath?
  3. The four women, Daisy, Fluff, Betty and Lei, all came from different backgrounds, and yet became the best of friends. Which of the four characters do you identify with the most? Why? Do you have friends who have bonded through challenging life experiences?
  4. The WARDs replaced men in an active war zone and faced plenty of skepticism, discrimination and outright hostility because they were women. How do you think they handled it? Have you ever encountered something similar in your own life? How challenging is it to work in a male-dominated field?
  5. War is known to bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best, and stories of courage and hope and survival abound. How did the characters in the book react to the pressures of war on their doorstep? Do you have any family stories of living through or fighting in the war?
  6. How do you think becoming a member of the Women’s Air Raid Defense shaped Daisy’s journey?
  7. Hawai‘i was under martial law through much of WWII, which included blackouts, curfew and rationing. How do you think that would have affected you? What food and drink would you have the hardest time living without?
  8. Do you think it will be possible for Daisy to forgive Mr. Montgomery? What about her mother? How much did Louise’s mental illness affect the rest of her life?
  9. After Dunn assaulted Fluff on their date, it takes the women catching Dunn in the act for Nixon to finally do something about it. How else could they have handled the situation? How would that same behavior have been treated today? Has much changed?
  10. What similarities do you see between life during wartime and life during the COVID-19 pandemic?
  11. What did you think of the ending and the final flight? Have you ever been to the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor? Or other war memorials either national or international? Which ones? How did you feel being there?