Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Man Nobody Killed by Elon Green

1. How does the death of Michael Stewart parallel events today? What, if anything, is different about how the events played out?
2. Why do you think the student testimonies were not taken very seriously?
3. What do you think Michael's life would look like had it not been cut short? Would he have been as successful as some of his contemporaries, Jean-Michel Basquiat or Keith Haring?
4. What was your impression of the chief medical examiner, Elliot Gross? Was he acting in good faith, carrying out his work to the best of his abilities, or was there deliberate malice?
5. The Man Nobody Killed highlights the media frenzy surrounding the circumstances of this case. How do you think it affected the case? How did it change your impression of some of the people involved? Has the presence of media in high-profile legal incidents changed in the decades since?
6. Was grand juror Ronald Fields a concerned citizen who was right to investigate the case on his own, or were his efforts ultimately misguided? Would you go out of your way to independently investigate if you felt there was a need?
7. Decades later, Elon Green was able to gain the perspective of many prominent figures from this trial, such as Dr. Gross and Judge Jeffrey Atlas. What role did their retrospection play as you read the book?
8. Michael Stewart's death had a significant artistic and cultural impact, from Basquiat to Spike Lee. Do you think art can lead to social change? What are some modern or historical examples of this?

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