Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Before Dorothy by Hazel Gaynor

1. Before Dorothy imagines the character of Emily Gale as a young woman embarking on a new life on the Kansas prairies. How did you respond to her, and what surprised you the most about the challenges she and Henry face as they establish their new life in Kansas?
2. Emily's mother keeps the pamphlet about Kansas with a dream of going there one day, and Emily shares her almost instinctive sense of destiny to move there. Why do you suppose this is? Where do you most long to visit, or move to? Is there a place your north star pulls you toward?
3. Adelaide Watson arrives as a fairy godmother character in Emily's and Dorothy's lives, renewing their sense of hope and purpose when they feel lost. What were your thoughts on Adelaide and her impact on the other characters' lives? Do you have a similar person in your own life?
4. How did you react to the character of Leonardo Stregone, and in what ways did you see parallels between him and the wizard in the original Wizard of Oz book and movie? What are your thoughts on the rainmakers who traveled across the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl?
5. Nature and our connection with the natural world play a central role in the book, both in how Emily responds to the environment around her and in the destructive forces of the tornadoes, drought, and dust storms. Which scenes and events captured the sense of the prairie the most vividly for you?
6. What is your own connection or response to the natural world? What more could you do to change how you interact with and respond to nature?
7. What are your thoughts on the traditional homesteading life we see among Emily and the other women of Kansas? Do you still follow any of these traditional ways of living (making or repairing clothes, cooking your own jams and preserves), or are there any aspects of that life you would like to adopt? If not, why?
8. Annie and Emily's close relationship deteriorates throughout the book as they are pulled in different directions. How did you respond to the breakdown of their connection? Why do you think Annie still chose Emily as Dorothy's guardian?
9. The roles of women as sisters, friends, daughters, wives, aunts, and mothers—and how they are perceived to have succeeded or failed in those roles—is explored throughout the book. What was your emotional response to the development of the relationship between Emily and Dorothy? Which other relationships in the book particularly resonated with you?
10. Before Dorothy is set during the Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Why do you think the author chose that period in American history, and in what ways do you think the economic and ecological events of that time reflect the references to power that we see in The Wizard of Oz?
11. The devastating drought and Dust Bowl drove many families to leave their homes across the Great Plains and head west. What was your response to Emily and Henry's decision to leave Kansas? In their place, would you have left sooner, later, or not at all? What would you like to see happen to Dorothy, Emily, and Henry next?
12. In writing Before Dorothy, the author enjoyed weaving in a number of "Easter eggs" as references to The Wizard of Oz. Which did you spot?
13. What are your favorite lines or quotes from the book? Share them with your reading group and discuss why they especially resonate with you.
14. Nell and Emily ended up living in rural communities while Annie was determined to stay in the city. Why do you suppose the girls developed such different desires as they grew older? Do you consider yourself a country girl or a city girl?
15. In what ways do you feel Emily's community supported her? What might her life have been like if she hadn't been welcomed by Liberal's women? Do you have a community that supports you?
16. Annie asks Emily why she hadn't told Henry about the loss of their first child. Emily responds that she "didn't want to bring such sadness to our new start." Annie concurs: "Sometimes ignorance is kinder than the truth." (p. 127-128). What did you think of this exchange? Do you think Annie's sentiment is accurate?
17. Emily eventually publishes her journal entries into a book, parts of which are included between chapters of Before Dorothy. What did you think of their inclusion? What did they add to your understanding of Emily and her life? Do you keep a journal?
18. Adelaide tells Emily that fear is a temporary thing. "Face it, and it doesn't exist anymore. Turn away from it and it'll haunt you forever." (p.215). What do you think she means? Do you agree? (p.215)
19. Dorothy tells her Auntie Em that she didn't think Mr. Stregone was a magic man at all. Em replies, "I think the idea of magic is sometimes more important than the magic itself" (p. 324). What do you think of her response? Do you think she's right?
20. Overall, what did you think of Before Dorothy, and to what audience would you recommend it? (no spoilers, please!)

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