Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe

1. How would you describe Bunny Lampert? What about her background and status defies the truth of her underlying life?
2. The same goes for Michael: how would you describe him? Do you feel differently about Michael by the end of the book? Has he grown, learned, changed?
3. How disturbing, if at all, do you find Michael's sex life? What do you think about his love for Anthony, more than three times Michael's age.
4. Ray Lampert becomes a third partner in Bunny and Michael's friendship. How would you describe him? Talk about the way he affects their relationship.
5. Even at 6-feet 3-inches and 200 pounds, Michael describes Bunny as outwardly happy and sure of herself. But he goes on to say that people find this "displeasing in a young woman." Why? What does he mean? Why would people take issue with Bunny? What does it say about gender roles and societal expectations?
6. Michael writes that "being true to yourself, even if it makes everyone hate you, even if it makes people want to kill you, is the most radical form of liberty." Talk about Michael's observation and what it means—not just for the characters in this novel, but for all of us as well.
7. One of the major themes of The Knockout Queen is shame. How does shame play out in the novel? What is it's toxic affect.
8. Many…if not most…if not all of us feel a sense of shame. Why is personal shame so prevalent? Talk about shame in your own life, if you carry that emotion. A frequent and rather glib piece of advice, which is meant kindly, is that we must learn to love ourselves. How does one do that? What are the steps one can take?
9. In what ways are Bunny and Michael flawed, sometimes, to the point of losing readers' sympathy? Do you care about one of the two more than the other? Finally, do you see Bunny as a tragic character, flaws and all?
10. The author writes powerfully about the world of teenagers, their hierarchies, and the cruelty they inflict on one another, particularly those who don't fit in. Does Trope overdo it? Or do you think her portrayal accurate? Why are adolescents sometimes so mean?
11. How does Thorpe depict the artifice of California life? Consider Anne Marie and her lollipops, perhaps the long rows of pristinely trimmed hedges in front of North Shore's homes, or say, Ray Lampert's billboards.
12. How might the story have differed had it been from Bunny's point of view?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Knopf. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.