DISCUSSION GUIDE

Questions for readers who want to go beyond the romance.

Suitable for book clubs, churches, campus groups and Black Greek organizations.

  1. Cheryl believes Mike sees beyond her beauty into her soul. What does the novel eventually suggest about the difference between being seen, being loved and being understood?
  2. Where does loyalty become complicity in the novel?
  3. How does Cheryl's childhood relationship with her father shape the way she experiences Mike?
  4. What does Black Greek life give Cheryl and Mike that the broader university does not?
  5. At what point does formation or discipline become abuse?
  6. Perry tells Cheryl that God must come before any man. Why is that idea difficult for her?
  7. How does the novel portray beauty as both gift and vulnerability?
  8. What responsibility does a community have when one of its members repeatedly harms others?
  9. How do Cheryl and Donna misunderstand one another even while calling each other sisters?
  10. Which characters confuse suffering with strength? Why?
  11. How does the late-1970s setting change the choices available to the characters?
  12. After finishing Book 1, what do you think Cheryl still has to learn?
Facilitator note: the book contains mature sexual content, violence, hazing, abuse and sexual-assault themes. Set group expectations before discussion.