Which themes in The Wind Knows My Name did you connect with the most, and how did they affect your personal experience of the book?
We experience the Night of Broken Glass as it happens to the Adler family. Was there anything that surprised you about this act of terror that you hadn’t known?
Music saves Samuel. Why do you think music transcends tragedy and comfort souls?
How much did you know about the El Mozote (pronounce El Mowzote) massacre before reading this book? Why do you think this tragedy isn’t widely known in America?*
After Samuel moved to California, his wife Nadine opened up their “enchanted mansion” to bohemians, frustrated artists, and simple wanderers, causing a rift in the marriage. Which side did you fall on and why?
Did you have strong feelings about the U.S. border policies before reading this novel? Did anything about those feelings change after reading it?
Reflect on Samuel and Nadine’s 55-year marriage. Why do you think it lasted, despite the divorces and infidelities?
Why did Samuel at embrace Anita and Leiticia so thoroughly?
Do you think Samuel ever fully worked through his trauma from his past?
Anita creates an alternative world called Azabahar. What does this place mean to her and the people around her?
How do the different characters in the book cope with trauma?
Did the ending surprise you? Were you expecting the characters to converge the way they did?
A common thread running through the various characters is trauma. Samuel. Leticia. Anita. How do you think each handled their tragic experiences? How did they persevere?
How did you feel at the end of The Wind Knows My Name? What did you take away from reading this novel?
