Book Club Discussion Questions
Scream Out Loud
- What is your first impression of Andie when she arrives at the rodeo and ranch? Does your opinion change? When?
- When did you first suspect that Maggie was a victim of sexual abuse? How about Andie?
- For the first half of the book, Tony is depicted as the absentee, disinterested father/husband. Andie makes it easy for us to dislike him. Does your opinion of him change as you read Maggie’s diary? How?
- Does Sax’s personal history and baggage make him the perfect partner for Andie or an unlikely match?
- Do you think Andie’s profession as a lawyer impacted her quest for the truth? Did it make her more or less able to bear the truth?
- What signs of abuse does Andie display as a little girl? What signs of a survivor does she display as an adult?
- Does Wayde bear any responsibility for what ultimately became of his sister? Does he deserve forgiveness?
- Setting plays an important role in the story – almost like another character. What kind of human descriptive words describe Oklahoma? Philadelphia?
- Oklahoma is a land of work. Everyone is always busy. How does this “work” detail every aspect of Andie’s journey and aid her recovery? How is the “work” healing to the people who live there?
- How do you feel about Reverend Berger? Did he do the right thing in helping Maggie to escape her abusive home or should he have taken stronger steps?
- What is the relevance of Andie as a lawyer and Tony as a healer?
- What do you think about Andie’s conversation with Regina, Paul’s wife? Do you agree with Andie’s decision not to press charges? Does this make her any different than her own grandmother and Reverend Berger?
- Which of the characters would you most like to sit down and have dinner with? Why?
- Andie’s parents come from two very different worlds. Yet the two families breed two sexual predators. Why is this important?
- How do you feel about Andie’s return to Oklahoma?
- What is the significance of the title Scream Out Loud?