Need some jazzy historical fiction for you book club? Give If I Had You a try! Below are suggested questions for reading group discussions.
BOOK CLUB READING GUIDE for If I Had You by Heather Hiestand
Jazz music is a passion of the heroine in If I Had You. Are there songs that tell the story of your life?
- Immigration is a major factor in the hero’s past in If I Had You. Do you think immigrants should fully embrace the culture of their new country, or is there still a place for the politics, language, and lifestyle of the old country while living in the new?
- There were more women than men in the young adult population in the 1920s, due to deaths in World War I. Many women had to support themselves but opportunities were limited. Would you do anything you could to find a man to support you, or look for work? What kind?
- A “live for now” attitude existed in youth culture in the 1920s because of all the terrors in the previous decade. How would living through a war and a flu epidemic as a teenager affect your twenties?
- Which comes first, protecting one family member or saving the lives of a lot of strangers? Would you help a relative escape the police if they had committed a crime or turn them in?
- If you owned a business with a scandalous history, would you embrace that history or attempt to hide it?
- In the 1920s, contraceptive information was becoming more widely available. Who should be in charge of family planning, the man or the woman?
- If the person you are in a relationship with speaks English as a secondary language, should you attempt to learn their primary language to deepen your relationship?