BOOK CLUB KIT, Schemes and Mind Maps of Poetry

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BOOK CLUB KIT

The North Carolina marsh where Kya lives has long been a sanctuary for outsiders. How does this setting shape the novel? How does growing up in this isolation affect Kya? In what ways does her status as an “outsider” change how others see her?

Why does Kya choose not to go back to school? Do you think she makes the wrong decision? How does Kya’s lack of formal education shape her vision of the world? Would her character be different if she had gone to school?

After Jodie and Pa leave Kya alone, she becomes close to Jumpin’ and Mabel. Why are these two adults drawn to Kya? What do they teach her about the world? Do you agree with Jumpin’s decision to protect Kya from social services (p. 110) and to encourage her to live alone in the marsh? Why or why not?

Why do you think Kya’s mother leaves in the beginning? Do you agree with her decision?

Kya often watches the other young people from town— she even nicknames them “Tallskinnyblonde, Ponytailfreckleface, Shortblackhair, Alwayswearspearls, and Roundchubbycheeks” (p. 80). What does Kya learn from observing these girls? Why do you think she keeps her watching secret? Do you agree with Kya’s secrecy?

How is womanhood explored throughout the novel? What does being a woman mean to Kya? How does she relate to the other women in Barkley Cove?

Discuss Kya’s relationship with Tate. How does Tate’s understanding of Kya change over time? Is Tate a good partner for Kya? Why or why not?

Tate’s father tells him that poems are important because “they make ya feel something” (p. 48). What does poetry mean to Tate? What does it mean to Kya? How does poetry help Kya throughout the novel?

On page 142, Kya watches the fireflies near her shack, and notices that the females can change their flashes to signal different things. What does this realization mean to Kya? What does it teach her about relationships? How does this lesson influence Kya’s decisions in the second half of the novel?

Discuss how Kya’s observations of nature shape her vision of the world. Do you think these lessons adequately prepare her for life in Barkley Cove? Do you think human society follows the same rules as the natural world? Should it? Why or why not?

Is Chase a different kind of man than Tate? How are they different? Is one man better? Do you think that their differences are biological or learned? How does Kya see each man?

In the end of the novel, Kya thinks “Most of what she knew, she’d learned from the wild. Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would. If consequences resulted from her behaving differently, then they too were functions of life’s fundamental core” (p. 363). What does she mean? Do you agree with her philosophy? What do you think it means to be a good person? Do you think Kya is a good person? Why or why not?

Were you surprised by the verdict in the Chase’s murder trial? What about by the ending of the novel? Do you agree with Tate’s final decision? Why or why not?

QUESTIONS FOR

DISCUSSION

“When you can live in the wild—

start a campfire in pouring

rain and find your way in the dark—

YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.” able way. To me, the story had to be feasible. I purposely kept Pa around until Kya was ten, an age at which she was capable of gathering food and firewood, cooking, and boating in the marsh and sea. And of course, by then she could run or hide from anyone. So by the time she was truly alone, it was quite possible for her to survive on her own abilities. And like all of us, she is intelligent and capable. The lives of the marsh creatures fascinated her, so she started collect- ing shells and feathers, learning Nature’s lessons as she went. Since she had no friends or family, her only entertainment was to observe, collect, and record the wondrous fantiwild around her. And in so doing, she learned a tremendous amount about natural history, and her mind and talents developed. With those in hand, she was able to become a true naturalist and publish numerous reference books. Her collections of marsh life grew into the most complete and profound of its kind. A true and satisfying work of life—hers and the marsh’s. But let’s not forget. Kya was also adventuresome, witty, and spunky. And full of love. Once she has the chance to be with others, some of her more hidden traits begin to shine. Kya grows up in solitude and isolation. Have your ex- periences as a researcher in remote areas of Africa in- formed your creation of this character? Much of my adult life—more than twenty-three years—was spent in either extreme or partial isolation. For one seven- year period, I lived in the Kalahari Desert with one other, and we were the only two people in an area the size of Ireland. (There were a few bands of roving Bushmen to the south, but so remote we never saw them.) In the Luangwa, I had my own camp in a very isolated spot, meaning that for twenty-three years I was isolated. Even now in Idaho I usually see other people only once or twice a week. So yes, most definitely, my experiences created Kya. I know what it is like to be alone. To make friends with baboons and brown hyenas because there are no other girl friends around. I know how isolation can make you feel insecure and inad- equate. What it is like to avoid people when you go to town because you don’t belong. However, I also know how your confidence soars when you learn how to track a cougar across sand or recognize a deer’s alarm call. When you can live in the wild—start a campfire in pouring rain and find your way in the dark—you truly believe in yourself. You may still be lonely and feel awk- ward around other people, but you can do much more than you ever thought possible. All of this is Kya: Alone, unsure, awkward around people, but strong, capable, knowledgeable, and very spunky on her own. And in the end, the confidence she gains from self-reliance in nature gives her the strength to thrive in man’s world. You spent decades researching two groups of mammals with strong matriarchal social structures. Are there similarities and differences in your observations of these animals and how humans behave? My research and many other studies have shown us that most social mammals, such as most primates, elephants, lions, hyenas—live in tightly bonded groups of females. Males emi- grate from their natal group when they reach adolescence to search for other females to mate with. Otherwise, they would only have relatives with which to breed. But the females re- main in their group for all of their lives, so that the pride, troop, or herd is made up of closely related or bonded females. While observing lions, brown hyenas, and elephants in the wild, I became fascinated with how much their social be- havior is like our own. Of course, these groups of females evolved because of the survival advantages, such as being the anti-predator. With forty baboon moms looking for leopards, there’s a better chance the cat will be seen. And then you have forty moms alarm-barking and mobbing the leopard until it runs away. Another benefit is territorial de- fense. A group of bonded females within a troop can chase smaller groups from their range, keeping the best fruit trees for themselves. But everything is not all hunky-dory in these groups. There is almost as much discord among the females as there is ca- maraderie. High-ranking female baboons fight over domi- nance to the point of inflicting wounds. They form cliques of strongly bonded individuals who harass lesser individuals and chase them from fruit trees. Lionesses feeding at a kill swat, snarl, and clobber one another’s bloody faces. You would never guess these were the same pride mates that just hours earlier sprawled in an easy pile, licking one another’s chins. The troop, pride, pack, or herd evolved for the survival benefits, not the companionship. Sisterhood does occur, but is not the only driving force. So yes, they remind me a lot of us. Stay in the group for what it is worth, but watch your back. Still, the relationships between the females of human and other mammal groups are some of the most precious, loving,

“[Female relationships] are some

of the most PRECIOUS, LOVING, AND ENDURING RELATIONSHIPS.”

and enduring relationships we have during our lives. And we suffer, as Kya did, if we are denied this honor. What were the challenges of incorporating poetry into the story? It was great fun to incorporate poetry into the novel. The challenge was to reveal Kya’s feelings without giving away the answer to the mystery. The novel touches on race and environmental issues. Why was it important to you to include these aspects in the book? I think it would be very difficult to write a novel based in the 1950s and ’60s about a young white woman who is befriended and protected by an older African American man and not touch on racism. Or to base a book in a threatened habitat such as the coastal marsh and not at least refer to its natural significance to the Earth. I strongly believe that art and litera- ture are two of our best means of promoting social conscious- ness. However, I also believe that being a novelist is primarily being a storyteller, and that whatever messages we want to convey as a writer should not interfere with the story we tell. I tried very hard to let the story itself speak of the issues and to keep my personal opinions low-key. You’ve coauthored three nonfiction books. Were there surprising differences or similarities to writing fiction? My nonfiction books followed strong story lines, with a begin- ning, middle, and end, so in that way the writing was similar to writing a novel. Also, the nonfiction books were character- driven—even if the main characters were lions, brown hyenas, or elephants. But of course with nonfiction there are the con- straints of dates, times, and facts that must be accurate, yet these real-life events don’t always flow within a good story line. I loved the freedom of writing fiction. Of letting my imagina- tion go as far as it would take me. You can always pull back, take a more conservative course. But why not soar for a while just to see what happens? A character can look, say, feel whatever works best for the tale. You can never do that with nonfiction. To me writing fiction is like riding a horse through the gate and into the mountains. You take off and are never quite sure where you will end up. You were educated in zoology and animal behavior, and the descriptions of the marsh in Where the Crawdads Sing seem to reflect a reverence and deep respect for even the smallest aspect of the natural world. What does a connection to nature mean for you, personally? Nature is and always will be my best friend. She is not constant or steady, but ever present. She is always there to soften a blow, to hold me, to teach me, to forgive me. She stays when others go. She makes me laugh and cry and teaches me every- thing I need to know. She is blue skies and rain. Mountain and valley. A hard rock to stand on and soft moss to lie on. As I wrote in another book, “By nature, Nature gives.” Every single thing we need comes from her, but we abuse her, starve her, forget her. She will be here long after we are gone, and we will once more be absorbed into her core. Hopefully this will remind us of what we forgot for a while—that we have been part of her all along. Do crawdads really sing? Technically, scientifically, crawdads do not sing. But I’ve made a bit of a study of it myself. And I’ve found that first you must go— all by yourself—and set up a small camp in real wilderness. I’m speaking of a place far from any road or village. Not a park, but a remote and wild land filled with Earth’s creatures. Just before dusk, you must walk deep into the woods and stand there ex- posed and totally alone as darkness descends around you. When you can feel the planet beneath your toes and the trees moving about, you must listen with all your ears, and—I promise—you will hear the crawdads sing. In fact, it will be a chorus. Kya falls in love with two very different men. Did these distinctive characters have any meaning for the story? To me, Kya’s first love, Tate, represents the sensitive, “evolved human male.” He shares opera with his father and loves poetry. He is strong and manly, but is kind, intelligent, and caring. Of course, he makes mistakes, but tries to also make amends. He loves deeply and truly. On the other hand, Chase is the raw, “unevolved” male who flashes his secondary sexual characteristics—such as his fancy ski boat—in order to attract one female after another. He is not very different from a buck deer in rut. He doesn’t care who he hurts along the way as long as he can be with as many females as possible. Kya, as many mammal females would, falls for both, but in the long run she makes the intelligent—evolved human— choice for the right one.

“When you can feel the planet beneath your toes

and the trees moving about, you must

listen with all your ears, and—I promise—

you will hear the crawdads sing.

IN FACT, IT WILL BE A CHORUS.”