Orphan Mother (Hicks)

Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available in the meantime, use these LitLovers talking points to start a discussion for The Orphan Mother...then take off on your own:

1. What kind of picture does Robert Hicks paint of the South after the Civil War? How would you describe the relations between former slaves and whites?

2. How much did you know about the Reconstruction Era before you read the Orphan Mother?

3. Talk about Mariah. Some reviewers have trouble liking her, seeing her as somewhat one-dimensional. Her anger is front and center; however given her history and all she has suffered, is her anger justified? What do you think?

4. Was Theopolis naive? Did he not expect to stir up resentment and anger among certain individuals? Or was his hope of election a real possibility?

5. What about George Tole? Talk about his past and how it has shaped the man he has become.

6. In what way does Mariah's role as a midwife elevate her status in the community?

7. What is the relationship between Mariah and her former mistress, Carrie McGovick. How do they renegotiate their new relationship with Mariah now a free woman?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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