Book Club Discussion Questions for Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, An Overview of Black Land Loss in America and our BookBrowse Review of Long After We Are Gone.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

These questions include spoilers. Do not read until after you've finished the book.


1. What do you think each of the siblings' different reactions to the passing of their father says about them? What do you think it says about grief in general?
2. How did each of the four siblings grow and change through- out the course of the book?
3. The Department of Agriculture calls heir property the lead- ing cause of Black land loss in the U.S. Were you familiar with the concept of heir property before you read this book? What is your take on it?
4. Was there one sibling whose story or struggles particularly resonated with you?
5. Junior's inner man and outer man are constantly battling each other. Do you sometimes feel like a different person on the inside than you are on the outside?
6. Why do you think CeCe was so reluctant to give in to her love for Ellis? What held her back?
7. Why do you think Mance had such trouble accepting that his son, Henry, is deaf?
8. Why do you think Mance was so reticent to hold his son?
9. Tokey feels like an outsider in her own family. Did you ever feel that way in your own family?
10. Why do you think King didn't tell his children the truth about what happened to their mother?
11. How do you see the effects of intergenerational trauma playing out among each of the characters? Do you think they were successful in breaking the "Solomon curse"?
12. Each of the siblings makes some pretty questionable choices. Do you think they all redeem themselves in the end?

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