Guide for Book Clubs

Nonviolent book club discussions are the best

1. What was your response to Rev. Lawson’s childhood realization and his mother’s advice that “there must be a better way?” Did it spark any feelings or questions? 

   
   

2. What was your impression of nonviolence before you read the book? 

   
   

3. Did your impression change after reading it? Was there a particular moment that changed your understanding of nonviolent direct action? 

   
   

4. What were your favorite moments in the book? Which moments did you find most arresting? Most inspiring? 

   
   

5. Discuss the conversations Rev. Lawson had with the Little Rock 9. What challenges did they face? What did his conversations with them highlight? 

   
   

6. From research to community health surveys, to packing prisons, were there any surprises in the strategies used in anti-segregation campaigns?

   
   

7. How did Rev. Lawson apply lessons from his earlier activism to his work in L.A.? What are the continuous threads from his work on the Sanitation Workers Strike, to his work in L.A. and beyond? 

   
   

8. Were there any lingering questions about Rev. Lawson or the characters of the movement? Is there anything you wanted to know more about? 

   
   

9. Is there anyone in your life who was alive during the civil rights era? What can you ask them about this period, and about their impressions of nonviolent direct action?

   
   

10. What are the lessons or takeaways from Rev. James Lawson's life and how he applied his philosophy?