Book Club Discussion Questions for Her Kind of Case by Jeanne Winer

Book Club Discussion Questions

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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. How do you think Lee's age affected the way she dealt with Jeremy's case? Do you relate at all to her dread of growing old?
2. Throughout the novel, Lee trusts her gut with multiple decisions she makes. Has there ever been a time in your life when you went with your gut rather than your head?
3. Lee is very independent, and a bit of an introvert. She routinely turns down invitations to go out with friends, like Carla and Peggy. Would you consider yourself more of an introvert or an extrovert? If you were Lee, would you have gone to the bar with Carla, or gone home alone?
4. Lee works incredibly hard to defend suspects in some pretty serious cases. She mentions one in which she won a lesser sentence for a mother who smothered her baby to death. She says that she has received hate mail and occasionally death threats for such work. Jeremy may have been innocent, but do you agree with the work that Lee does to represent clients that are guilty? Do you think that you would ever be able to do the same?
5. Lee has a strong relationship with her father. She calls him frequently, and the two genuinely enjoy each other's presence. What is your relationship like with your own parents? Is it similar to Lee's with her dad, or different?
6. After losing Lenny Hall's case, Lee isn't sure if she has "it" anymore. She claims that if she loses Jeremy's case as well, she will never take another murder case again, and may retire as a lawyer altogether. Have you ever hit a low point in your career where you lost confidence in yourself and considered quitting?
7. Mary and Leonard have a very emotionally abusive relationship, though Mary remains unable to leave her husband and, in the beginning, chooses him over her son. How did you feel about Mary's decision? Lee never directly tells Mary to leave her husband, but would you have told Mary to? Were you surprised that she testified in the end, or do you believe that a mother's love for her son will always trump her love for her husband in the end?
8. The book has an abundance of relatable, authentic characters. Which character do you consider yourself to be most like? The calm, dedicated Lee? The quirky, accomplished Carla? The adventurous Mark and Bobby? Did you have a favorite character? A least favorite?
9. Jeremy's love for Sam is deep, strong, and ultimately devastating. He continuously voices his worry that he will never find a love like he did with Sam. What was your first love like? Did it feel all-encompassing, like Jeremy's, or do you think you were too young at the time to truly understand it?
10. Jeremy refuses to testify against his "brothers," but they end up testifying against him. Did you appreciate Jeremy's loyalty or resent it? Do you think that you would be as loyal as Jeremy, or turn on your friends to save yourself, whether or not they were skinheads?
11. The book's dealings with LGBTQ issues are very relevant to today's world. Many characters in the book are members of the LGBTQ community as well, including Jeremy, Sam, Paul, Mark, and Bobby. Do you think that having so many members of the LGBTQ community close to her in her life affected Lee's decision to take the case? Do you think it affected how she tried it? Is there anyone in your life that affected the way you read and reacted to the case?
12. Despite having a demanding job, Lee seems to have a pretty balanced life, with weekly dinners with Mark and Bobby, weekend hikes, and going to the dojo to practice Tae Kwon Do. Do you have any hobbies that help prevent one thing, like work or motherhood, from taking over your life?
13. Jeremy grew up in a very strict Christian environment, listening to his father preach against anyone who was different from them. Despite this, he maintains a relationship with God in the end of the book, albeit a different God than the one his father worships. What was your religious life like growing up? Did it affect how you practice religion now?
14. Lee claims to have never had much of an issue with Paul's mountain climbing, although it was dangerous and ended up killing him eventually. Do you believe her, or do you think she simply decided not to voice her concerns? If your partner had a dangerous hobby, would you take a similar route as Lee, or would you have issues with it?
15. Lee and Dan, despite being enemies in the courtroom, have a strong relationship with one another. Even though they fight for opposite sides, it is obvious that they respect each other greatly. Do you have a Dan of your own, someone who is an adversary at work, but whom you still greatly respect? Someone who may be your friend if the situation were different?
16. Phil messes up big-time when he attempts to beat up his ex wife's new boyfriend, Bob. He ends up with a black eye, a broken arm, and a suspension from work. Have you ever made a mistake trying to save a relationship that, in hindsight, wasn't worth saving?
17. Lee took a great risk at the end of the book by calling Rab to the stand. Did you agree with her decision? If you were in her position, would you have been able to take that risk? Has there ever been a moment in your life when you took a great risk that ended up paying off?
18. Why do you think Rab decided to help Lee in the end? Did you expect this, or did it surprise you? What did you think of his condition, that Lee write him letters in prison? Would you have agreed if you were Lee?
19. Peggy says that Jeremy plans to live with her and eventually go to school if he wins the trial, which he does. Do you have hope for Jeremy? Do you think that he finds a new boyfriend, or that he ends up moving to San Francisco as he planned to with Sam? What kind of future do you imagine for Jeremy?
20. What kind of future do you imagine for Lee? Does she continue taking serious, high-profile cases? Does she continue winning them? What about her date with Detective Roberts? Do you think it will lead to a relationship, or was Paul the only one for her?

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