Girls in Trouble (51 page)

“Come on, everyone, sit! Sit!” he ordered. He pointed to places. There and there and there. “Sara, right over there!” he said, pulling out a chair for her and then Sara sat, and for another moment again, all of them were here, together.

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1. “Girls in Trouble” is a 1950s euphemism for pregnant and unmarried girls. But who really are the “girls in trouble” in this book, and why?

2. Anne uses writing to reshape and understand her life. Why are stories so important in this book? How are some of these stories misinterpreted?

3. Why do you think Leavitt turns various stereotypes about teenage pregnancy, adoption, and first love on their heads? How does this all figure into the themes of the novel?

4. “What might have been” is a theme throughout the book. How would things be different if Sara hadn’t gotten pregnant? If she and Danny had married young? If Eva and George had stayed in town?

5. Leavitt clearly believes in the permanence of first love, but do you really think Danny and Sara could have been happy together?

6. The definition of family in this book is ever changing. What makes a family? Which ones in the book are the most successful and why?

7. “Loss is like a pie,” Sara says. It may get smaller and gradually disappear but we’re always hungry for it. How is this true for each character in the novel?

8. The characters in the book do the wrong thing for what they feel is the right reason. Abby and Jack try to get Sara to forget and move on. Eva and George separate from Sara. Sara takes drastic action with her baby out of love. What else might these characters have done in these situations?

9. Why do you think Leavitt explored open adoption by getting inside the minds of so many different and diverse characters?

10. Leavitt has said that she is very much pro open adoption. Why then, did she present an open adoption situation that was less than ideal? What is she saying about what could have been done to make it a happier process for everyone involved?

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