Discussion Post for How To Tell When We Will Die by Johanna Hedva
[ID: a light pink book cover with an illustration of a a horizontal human figure partially dissected like an anatomy illustration. Disembodied hands poke, prod, and dissect the figure. Dark gray text reads "How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom Johanna Hedva". Red starbursts are scattered across the text and the whole cover. The book sits on a gray wooden floor with loose book pages and lace doilies scattered underneath it. At the top of the photo is a black vintage type writer with red fake flowers draped across the typewriter and the book. Pearl necklaces line either side and a necklace of black and white stars sits off to the right side. Scrabble tiles spelling out “book club” on top of a lace doily sit to the right of the book.”]
It’s time to discuss the #ChronicallyIconicBookClub’s November read: HOW TO TELL WHEN WE WILL DIE by Johanna Hedva!
Our discussion via group chat will take place starting tomorrow November 29th around 1pm EST and continue through December 1st or however long it takes us to get through the questions.
Let me know in the comments on Instagram if you’d like to join!
This book was a real mind bender for me (@libraryofdreaming) and I actually really struggled to come up with discussion questions! Since the book is so stream of consciousness, I want to lean into that and open up the discussion to whatever occurs to you!
I found parts of this book to be very interesting and valuable, but other parts just made me scratch my head. I’m excited to discuss it with you all and see if you had a similar experience!
Here are some discussion questions you can answer at your leisure if you’d prefer.
Discussion Questions:
What did you think of this book? How many stars did you rate it?
What sections or concepts stood out to you? (Either positively or negatively.)
The author redefines many concepts including ableism, healing, intersectionality, doom, and even the reach of activism. Did you agree or disagree with these definitions?
The author discusses a number of archetypes throughout this book (ex: the Sick Woman, Daddies, the Hag in Charge, etc.) Were there any archetypes that you found useful or interesting? Or any that you disagreed with?
Are there any sections or concepts that you still feel confused about?
What did you think of the theme of doom throughout the book? Did you feel like it fit with the title?
Is there anything that you felt like was missing or overlooked in this book?
If the author were to write a sequel, what concepts would you like them to focus on?
Reminder:
Our next book pick is TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN by John Green, a YA contemporary with OCD representation based on personal experience. Join us at the end of January 2025 to discuss this read! (We’ll also be watching and discussing the movie adaption which is currently streaming on HBO Max.)
Additionally, we’re trying a new schedule of one book every other month. Please send your nominations for our March 2025 read or message me on Instagram if you’d like to join us in 2025.