Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava

Book Club Discussion Questions

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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Have you ever lied about your qualifications to achieve something?
2. Do you think telling white lies is okay? In what situations do you consider it appropriate to lie?
3. Do you think Ember ultimately deserved to get fired for her lies and actions, or do you think the company should have taken the circumstances into consideration?
4. What is your dream job? Would you ever pursue it?
5. Have you ever faced microaggressions in a public setting, like at work or school? How did you confront them?
6. Do you think employers discriminate against applicants based on the ethnicity question on job applications?
7. We generally have not had accurate Native American representation in media, whether it be in film or even news sources. With that in mind, how was your experience reading about Chickasaws and Cherokees in Oklahoma?
8. Ember's final confrontation with Kyle is very heated. Do you feel like she was vindicated in that moment? What would you have done in that situation?
9. Danuwoa also had to abide by the no-dating policy at the office, but he seemed almost careless in his pursuit of Ember. Do you think he was right to want to be honest about the relationship, or was Ember right to keep up the charade at work?
10. Technix is a satirical representation of tech companies at large. If Ember were in the real world, do you think there would have been any protection for her within the company to keep her from being coerced into spending her own money for work-related tasks or being blackmailed by Kyle?
11. Sage skipping bail and losing Ember's savings is the catalyst for Ember to lie about her work experience and ethnicity. Do you think Ember forgives Sage too easily? Why or why not?
12. Ember is able to rebuild her goals with the help of her community. Often in this modern, capitalist culture, we are expected to suffer in silence and resolve things on our own, but Native culture is not that way. When everyone is working together, lending helping hands to those who need them, we thrive. What lessons in community do you take away from Ember and her story?

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