Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Redwood Court by DéLana R. A. Dameron

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Which character resonated with you the most? Why?
2. What through-lines did you see across the generations?
3. What did 154 Redwood Court represent for Weesie and Teeta? For Rhina? For Mika?
4. "One of the things Weesie brought with her to Redwood Court that had been instilled in her in Georgia was an overwhelming sense that where systems fail, people prevail." How did this sense influence Weesie's actions? How did those actions influence their neighborhood?
5. We see through various characters' points of view throughout the novel, but it's really Mika's coming-of-age story. How would you characterize Mika? What was it like getting to know certain characters through her—and then through their own thoughts?
6. What do you imagine Sasha's interior world was like? What were her hopes and dreams?
7. What does Redwood Court have to say about the idea of family? Of community? How did the characters support each other throughout their lives? Where, if at all, did this support fall short?
8. "You have all these stories inside you—that's what we have to pass on—all the stories everyone in our family knows and all the stories everyone in our family tells," Mika's grandparents tell her. What family stories will you pass on?
9. The novel is suffused with nostalgia, from the lyrics of The Spinners and The O'Jays to decidedly '90s popular culture. What was this part of the reading experience like for you? How might these nostalgic moments enable a reader to connect even more deeply with the characters and story?
10. "You understand a thing differently when it's called something else, maybe closer to what it's about or what it's doing," Cousin Daisy says. "I think we do [have to call our neighborhoods ghettos]. It changes the relationship we have with our understanding of what has been allowed to us." Discuss the conversation Cousin Daisy sparks during her visit. How do the other characters react? What is your point of view on the argument? Does this conversation dull the shine of Redwood Court for Weesie, Mika, and the others? Why or why not?
11. Teeta and Major are both veterans. How are their experiences similar? How are they different? How does Teeta's advice to Major change the trajectory of his life?
12. Teeta and Major choose their battles when it comes to confronting racism— sometimes they choose to ignore it, or to play the supplicant role the white person in question expects. What did you think about these scenes?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of The Dial Press. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.