Think you know books? Try our new Book Trivia!

Book Club Discussion Questions for Flesh & Blood by N. West Moss

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reading Guide |  Reviews |  Beyond the Book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

Flesh & Blood by N. West Moss

Flesh & Blood

Reflections on Infertility, Family, and Creating a Bountiful Life: A Memoir

by N. West Moss
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (20):
  • First Published:
  • Oct 12, 2021, 320 pages
  • Rate this book

About this Book

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

In a book club? Subscribe to our Book Club Newsletter and get our best book club books of 2025!



For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Books That Address Infertility and our BookBrowse Review of Flesh & Blood.


Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

  1. For millennia, women have been defined by their fertility. How do you think that history affects the author's view of herself and her illness?
  2. While the author is a private person, and our society has not often openly discussed miscarriage, hysterectomy, and infertility, we see her slowly sharing her experiences with her friends, and then even writing this book. What changed for the author? What does Moss gain by opening up? Do secrets ever serve a purpose?
  3. Despite the serious subject matter of the book, the author uses humor throughout. What effect does that have and how does she use humor to help navigate her illness?
  4. The author's relationship with her husband is central to this book. How did you feel about the way Moss describes that relationship, and the subtle ways that it changes and deepens over sorrow and joy, and over time?
  5. Why do you think Claude the praying mantis has as large a role in the book as he does? What does this tell you about what the author is experiencing? Did you connect in any way to Claude?
  6. "Women had warned me that I would become invisible at 50, that men would not want me or even see me, that the world would treat me as irrelevant," Moss writes, but it turns out this isn't particularly problematic for her. Is this something that resonates for you? What is your relationship to aging?
  7. There are moments in the book when the author feels let down by the medical establishment. How do you think doctors could more effectively "see" their patients? What role does compassion play in medicine?
  8. Mothers and daughters run throughout this book. What strength does the author draw from the women in her family?
  9. Moss discovers that with illness there is a before and an after, and her outlook changes. If you have been seriously ill, were you reshaped by the experience?
  10. How has Moss created her legacy? Do you think we all have a drive to leave something of ourselves in this world?


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

Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $60 for 12 months or $20 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

Beyond the Book:
  Books That Address Infertility

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Tapestry of Time
by Kate Heartfield
Love, war, and the supernatural collide in this dazzling historical fantasy by international bestselling author Kate Heartfield.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    A Club of One's Own
    by BookBrowse

    Dreaming of starting or reviving a book club? A Club of One’s Own is the essential guide to doing it right.

Win This Book
Win These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

"[An] atmospheric tale of unexpected hope." —Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author

Enter

Book
Trivia

  • Book Trivia

    Can you name the title?

    Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

W the C A the M W P

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.