Perfect Peace (Black)

Discussion Questions
1. Emma Jean’s decision seems to be unjustifiable. However, is it possible to understand why Emma Jean does what she does? Who is really to blame? Without having healed from her own childhood abuse, can she really be held responsible for her current psychological well-being?

2. How does Gus’s emotional fragility contribute unto his abuse of Paul? How is he contradictory in this respect?

3. How do Perfect’s brothers both help and hinder his transform into malehood/masculinity?

4. What is the role Sugar Baby plays in Paul’s spiritual evolution? Although they speak infrequently, Sugar Baby’s impact on Perfect Paul is indelible. Why?

5. What are the places in the novel where Emma Jean’s love for her children is made obvious? Cite examples of her being a dedicated, nurturing mother.

6. What role does the church play in the social construction of gender in Swamp Creek? How does the church/church rhetoric "enslave" its members around issues of gender/sexuality?

7. Most readers are surprised by the revelation of Mister’s sexuality. Why do you think readers don’t suspect him?

8. Eva Mae loves Perfect Paul, regardless of his gender identification. Why isn’t Paul attracted to her, especially with all she’s done to love and protect him?

9. The Jordan River is personified, such that it assumes a life of its own. How does the Jordan assist Swamp Creek residents in dealing with their communal and personal issues? Is it a "kind" character or a "mean, wrathful" one?

10. When Emma Jean begins to hear The Voice, it sounds like her own conscience at one point and, at other times, it sounds like her mother, and at other times it sounds like something Omniscient. What is the role of The Voice and how does it lead to Emma Jean’s ultimate cleansing?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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