Book Club Discussion Questions: The Upside of Falling Down

I chose the young adult novel, "The Upside to Falling Down" by Rebekah Crane because I needed a light, entertaining read. It did deliver a colorful tale about a girl who wakes up in an Irish hospital with amnesia....and the sole survivor of a plane crash. She sets out to discover who she is in Ireland, before she is forced back into a life she doesn't remember in Cleveland, OH.  She also must dodge the media hungry for the story.

This book may be a bit adult for younger teen readers, as the main character is 18 years old and partakes in some adult activities (sex and drinking).

Discussion Questions

1. Clementine wakes up in a hospital in a foreign country knowing nothing about herself other than what she reads off a chart and what nurses tell her. What do you think that would be like? What is she feeling?

2. What are your thoughts on nurse Stephen? How does he help Clementine? Do you think he makes any mistakes?

3. What are your thoughts on Clementine? Is she a likable character? Do you think you would act and think the same or different if you were in her (lack of) shoes?

4. Clementine makes an effort not to watch media reports about the plane crash or her own life. Do you think this was wise? What other ways could she have utilized to put together the mystery of her past?

5. Do you think there was a reason she didn't want to remember?

6. What are your thoughts on Kieran? Do you think he was sincere? Did your thoughts on him change as his truth was revealed?

7. What are your thoughts on Siobhan's character? Why does Clementine want to be friends with her? Did your thoughts on her change when her truth was revealed?

8. What about Clive? What role did his character play in the story?

9. This book is set in Ireland. Did you learn anything about Ireland? Would you like to visit there? Is there something in the book you'd like to see? 

10. Kieran tells Clementine that people see what they want to see. What do you think that means? How does it play out in the story?

11. Overcoming fear is another recurring theme in the book. Do you think Kieran gives good advice when he says what lies on the other side of fear is freedom? Why or why not?

12. The book ends with many of Clementine's new life tying into her old life. Can you give three examples?

13. Do you think the title fits the book? How?

Book Review: The Librarian of Auschwitz

"The Librarian of Auschwitz," by Antonio Iturbe is a young adult novel about Dita, a young girl who miraculously survives the Holocaust, in spite of doing the very dangerous job of serving as the librarian in camp. 

This library consists of only eight books, and each of them are precious. Books are forbidden in the camps, so she has to keep them hidden, having special pockets sewn into her clothes to carry the books. She also gets supplies to repair them as best she can. Dita is an inventive girl who also employs some prisoners to be "living" books, because they can tell the stories well enough to make them real, and includes these people in her library. 

This story is not pleasant, but shows the reality of the horrible conditions people endured, when death was sometimes a blessing, and how the inhumanities were hidden from the outside world. Dita is not the only character, there are sympathetic Nazis you may want to root for, some you don't then change your mind, and other prisoners. This book pulls at your heart strings, and makes you angry that this happened to so many people, children, elders, families torn apart, or murdered together, starting with the child.

This book is based on a true story. While it is not pleasant, it is important. As a bonus, there is a cameo appearance of Anne Frank, who authored the notebook that inspired "The Diary of Anne Frank."