Claiming Jeremiah (Salick)

Discussion Questions
1. For much of the novel, Jordyn tends to be very strong-minded about what she wants even after Julian disagrees. Do you think she is being fair to him or their relationship?

2. In what ways do you think Tori’s path would have been altered if her brother, Julian, would have stayed in New York?

3. Do you think Julian should have had a stronger voice in expressing his beliefs?

4. Jordyn’s family was not thrilled about her bringing Jeremiah into her life—did they go too far with their comments? What would have been your reaction if your family had said those things to you?

5. Do you feel Tori has any type of resentment toward her brother because of how their mother puts him on a pedestal? Do you think their mother loves Tori as much as she loves Julian or less? Does her love for Tori seem non-existent because of Tori’s constant mishaps?

6. Should Jordyn have stopped fighting for Jeremiah after she learned of her pregnancy? Should she have stopped after her first health scare?

7. What do you think about Oscar’s character and his actions toward Tori’s? At any point and time do you think he cared for her?

8. After Jordyn spilled her secret to the women in her family, were they able to understand her more? Or do you think they still looked at her the same?

9. From the early stages of the story, what do you think was at the root of the reason Jordyn chose to foster and then adopt Jeremiah? Was it just to prevent Jeremiah from heading to foster care or was there an ulterior motive?

10. Mr. Henderson seems to have a certain view of the foster care system that led him to make his final decision. Do you think he made the right choice? Or is he just another caseworker who has given up hope?

11. Do you think Oscar’s actions toward the end of the story are justifiable? Was he right in the sense that Jeremiah won’t understand his ethnic background and its culture being raised in a middle-class lifestyle?

12. Jordyn evidently has a lot of emotional issues related to how her mother was not a strong maternal figure when Jordyn was growing up. Do you think the birth of her child and having Jeremiah will heal those scars?

13. After reading Claiming Jeremiah, what are your views on the foster care system? Do you believe the system works (as-is) or is designed to run as a business, without taking into account the welfare of the children at stake? If you could fix the system, what would you change?
(Questions kindly provided by author.)

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