Book Club Discussion Questions for Buses Are a Comin' by Charles Person, Richard Rooker

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

In a book club? Subscribe to our Book Club Newsletter!



For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and our BookBrowse Review of Buses Are a Comin'.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. As you read about the events in Charles's life as he was growing up that helped propel him to join the Freedom Ride, what events come to mind from your own life that have propelled you to action? Or might have but did not? Why?
2. What "bus" have you boarded in your life to make a stand on behalf of a principle?
   a. What was the principle?
   b. What did your stand look like?
   c. What was the outcome?
   
3. If you haven't boarded a "bus" of your own or engaged in a type of activism, would you like to? What would you like to do?
4. What do you think allows people to board a dangerous bus? Why are some able to do so when others are unable to put principle to action?
5. Have you witnessed any of the discrimination you encountered in the book? Which side were you on? What did you do about it? What do you want to do about it now?
6. How is your community currently different (or even similar) from the one in which Charles grew up? What changes would you like to see in your community? How could you be a part of those changes?
7. As you learn about the changes the Freedom Riders fought for, do you recognize anything in your life that you enjoy today because of the sacrifices of a previous generation?
8. What do you admire the most about Charles and his fellow Freedom Riders?
9. What have you learned from Charles's story, and has your thinking changed because of what you have read?
10. Just as the Freedom Riders were pioneers in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, who would you say today's leaders are in the fight for equality?
11. Were you taught about the Freedom Riders in school? If yes, how does Charles's experience compare to what you learned? If no, what Civil Rights leaders did you learn about?

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