I thought it might be fun if I came up with some book club questions that could also be handy in a gender studies class. Some of them are kinda fancy and academic and some of them are party games. Feel free to message me with especially creative answers or ideas.
Drop me a line at tybo.ceb@gmail.com
Be Weird With Me
Book Club Questions/Discussion Topics
- Ty’s mom’s ongoing criticism of Ty’s appearance is a theme in the book. In what ways does Ty fail to meet his mother’s aesthetic expectations and how do those relate to other normative/dominant regulatory categories such as gender, sexuality and class?
- Ty presents a hypothetical theory of gender formation in the preface and alludes to it throughout the story. How and when do you think gender forms in an individual?
- Why do you think misfits daydream about being wizards or superheroes? What did you fantasize about as a child when you were alone?
- Laughter and humor are another theme. What do they represent? What role do they take in the narrative?
- Discuss how repression and/or resistance has changed regarding the queer movement within the timeframe of the book.
- Why are dyke bars and other queer spaces closing? Could there be another Pi?
- Is Ty ultimately redeemed as a character?
- Do you think misfit/weirdo/queer solidarity is possible? Important? How do we achieve new alliances?
- Do you believe in everyday magic? What does it look like?
- Popular culture, especially music, was formative to Ty’s development. What are the songs/music genres you associate with the eras of your identity?