1. General Impressions 

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• What previous knowledge did you have about the former Soviet Union? Did the novel enrich your understanding of this nation?
• How did the title prepare you for the novel’s subject matter? What predictions did you make about the book based on it? Having read the book, what do you think the title’s intended meaning is, and does that align with your perceptions at the outset?
• The novel employs true historical figures as characters. Two of these—Eleanor and Franklin Delano Roosevelt—will be well-known to American readers. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using real people as fictional characters? How did your knowledge of these historical figures impact your reading of the book?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection 

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Which character did you identify with the most, and why? The least?
• Mila plays many roles in the novel; in addition to her wartime involvement, she is a wife, a mother, and a friend. Consider the multiple identities and roles you hold. How do they inform and shape one another? Do they ever come into conflict?
• Did the book change any beliefs you previously held about war, combat, and sacrifice? How so?
• What does the novel suggest makes a hero? Do you agree? To what extent do you think notions of heroism are culturally inflected (consider, for example, how Lyudmila is shaped by ideas about heroism)?

3.