All across the country book clubs meet to discuss books
and share ideas.
Here are some suggested discussion topics for After The Apple.
Eve
Thought:
How is the story of Jacob and the two women in his life relevant to modern families today?
People have traditionally thought of Eve as the “evil manipulator” who ruined Adam’s life in the Garden of Eden. In fact, however, Eve is not a manipulative temptress who entraps hapless Adam. On the contrary, she is a risk-taker; a woman who dares to question the limitations imposed on her and her helpmate.
Question:
-
Do you agree that Eve is the heroine of the story and that she is the template for all women who follow her: women who dare to question authority, speak out, and seek wisdom?
................................................................................................................................................
Sarah
Thought:
Sarah was an outspoken woman in a male-dominated culture. She was a woman who dared, despite daunting risks. She accepted a challenge of a new faith, spoke directly to God, and experimented with surrogate motherhood – a risk that led to much unhappiness and pain. She is a model for women of the 21st century who are fortunate to live more than a third of their lives after child-bearing age.
Questions:
- What do we learn from Sarah about the characteristics of leadership and pioneering new ideas?
- Can her example of tenacity, resilience, and commitment to a spiritual journey, empower us as we wrestle with our own quest and how to pass on our tradition and faith.
- How does Sarah deal with Hagar, “the other woman”? Do you feel empathy for Sarah or criticism?
- What do we learn from her about the dynamics of marriage and how to make it last? How does her refusal to play an ancillary role to her husband contribute to the marriage’s success?
- What was Sarah’s legacy?
................................................................................................................................................
Rebecca
Thought:
Rebecca is the outstanding leader of the second generation of the family saga. History will validate her choices, though the price she paid was high and painful.
Questions:
- Do you find Rebecca’s choice to mislead Isaac justified as a means to an end?
- What consequences did Rebecca pay as a result of her actions, and would you have done the same?
- What do we learn about sibling rivalry from Rebecca and Isaac’s parenting style?
................................................................................................................................................
Rachel and Leah
Thought:
The story of Jacob and his wives throbs with passion, envy, misery, and pride.
Questions:
- When Leah was putting on her wedding dress, did she know she was going to be marrying her sister’s intended?
- Rachel’s image is that of a romantic yet tragic heroine. How did that come about?
- How did Rachel cope with her role as a “trophy wife?”
- How does Jacob’s polygamous marriage speak to us in the age of divorce?
................................................................................................................................................
Tamar
Thought:
Judah, Leah and Jacob’s fourth son, has a daughter-in-law named Tamar. Tamar takes control of her destiny and plots an audacious scheme that defies patriarchal times, eventually leading to the House of David.
Questions:
- How do the biblical scribes treat Tamar’s resourcefulness, courage and defiance of the law?
- How does Tamar control her own destiny rather than resigning herself to perpetual servitude?
................................................................................................................................................
Michal
Thought:
Thought: Around 1050 B.C.E., Michal, King Saul’s youngest daughter falls in love with a young Sheppard boy, David, son of Jesse. Already a celebrity in his own right, Michal marries David only to lose him later on to his increased fame and his own jealousy. Locked into the Bible’s most unhappy marriage, the biblical narrator does not shrink from exposing the raw edges of their private life.
Questions:
- How does the marriage of two celebrities put their relationship at risk?
- How do couples who marry young, keep growing together when in future years there is success by one and not the other?
- How can a couple protect themselves from experiencing a breakdown in communication, and thereby growing distant and hostile with each other?
- How does a woman evaluate a future partner when blinded by love?
................................................................................................................................................
 More questions on additional chapters in the book are available. |
 Naomi is available...
to help guide book club discussions or speak at your meetings.
>>
Contact Naomi with other thoughts or ideas. >>
|
