You, dear reader, are my people. And story is a powerful medium. It speaks to hearts in ways facts and articles cannot. Through it, we get to live someone else’s experience. We get to put on someone else’s skin and walk a mile in their shoes, which makes it the best possible breeding ground for empathy.
That is my hope for this story. When you close this book and the characters and the plot fade away, I pray that empathy would remain. That empathy would grow. That conversations would be had. And maybe, the hot iron pressing against my heart might press against yours too. Maybe you will go and talk to your people and maybe they will go and talk to their people. And somehow something as big and systemic and as seemingly unmovable as this might actually start to change.
If you’re unsure where to start, here are some excellent resources to help you on your way:
• Pass the Mic, the official podcast for the Witness, a Black Christian Collective, cohosted by Tyler Burns and Jemar Tisby. Seriously. Subscribe. And then listen to every single episode.
• Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. If you want to better understand the systemic nature of racism in our criminal justice system, this book will blow your eyes wide open. Also, Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of EJI (Equal Justice Initiative). The website alone is a wealth of information.
• Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
• Divided by Faith by Michael O. Emerson and Christian Smith
• 13th, a documentary on Netflix that explores the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
—MICAH 6:8
Readers Guide
1. This novel opens with a quote by Claudia Rankine from her book Citizen: An American Lyric. “The world is wrong. You can’t put the past behind you. It’s buried in you; it’s turned your flesh into its own cupboard.” Do you think this quote is true? Why or why not? In what ways does the quote apply to this story? In what ways does this quote apply to our country?
2. From captivity to freedom, from ignorance to awareness, from counterfeit to real. Those are just some of the journeys that happen in this novel. What other journeys did the characters go on? Which journey impacted you the most and why? Who did you relate to the most? Are the two the same?
3. The title of this book is first used by Camille during the town meeting. Later, we see it again, only this time it’s from Anaya’s point of view. What did Anaya think and how did she feel about Camille’s complaints from the town meeting? Can you think of how the title might apply to Jen or Jubilee?
4. While reading a memoir called The Grace of Silence by Michele Norris, I came across an analogy, wherein racial trauma was compared to a repeated scratch on the back of a person’s hand. One scratch was tolerable. But the accumulation of scratches caused the trauma. When I read it, I immediately thought of the term microaggression. According to Merriam-Webster, a microaggression is “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority).” What are some of the microaggressions Anaya experiences throughout the story? Did these “scratches” surprise you, or could you relate to them?
5. What were Anaya’s father’s final words to her? How did they take on new meaning for Anaya as the story progressed? What do you think it means to be completely free? What did Anaya’s mother have to say about freedom?
6. There is a scene where Anaya is remembering the death of twelve-year-old Tamir Rice. What did her college roommate have to say about Tamir’s death? Why was that hurtful to Anaya? Do you agree with the observation Anaya’s grandmother made about it? What’s your reaction when a black person turns into a hashtag? Why do you think this is your reaction?
7. Adoption plays a role in this story, particularly transracial adoption. While Jen and Jubilee’s story certainly isn’t everyone’s adoption story, the first year home is almost always a very difficult and often isolating one. What insights—if any—did Jen and Jubilee’s relationship give you into adoption?
8. What does Jen’s brother, Brandon, represent in the story? Why do you think Jen’s mother doesn’t like to talk about Brandon? Is pointing to or talking about a problem the same as creating the problem? Why do you think racism is a topic so many would rather avoid?
9. There is a scene before Christmas when Camille is sitting in church, wondering how Neil could still bring the kids to church. She doesn’t understand how he can sit there and not feel the weight of his sin. Later, after Taylor is diagnosed with diabetes, Neil and Camille are sitting in the kitchen together in the middle of the night and Neil mentions his faith. Camille wrestles with the same question all over again, only this time her perspective has changed. How so? What do you think about her observation?
10. Kyle Davis sexually harasses his student teacher, Ellie Sorrenson. What happens to her after she comes out and publicly announces what Kyle did? What happens to Kyle? Can you think of other instances in our culture when the victim is turned into a villain?
11. As I wrote this story, I was very aware of the “white savior” trope, wherein a white person “rescues” people of color. It’s prevalent in both literature and film. Can you think of examples of books or movies that utilize this trope? Why is this trope problematic? Is anyone “rescued” in No One Ever Asked?
12. Extra credit: Listen to the podcast episode that inspired the novel. This American Life: The Problem We All Live With. Follow investigative reporter, Nikole Hannah-Jones on Twitter (@nhannahjones). She covers race in America—more specifically segregation in modern-day American education. Find a time line on the history of segregation in our country’s education system. Was this a problem you were aware of before reading No One Ever Asked? Discuss Nikole’s work, as well as the podcast.
Acknowledgments
This book holds a very special place in my heart, and I am so grateful to everyone who had a hand in making it happen.
Thank you, Terri Haynes, Charlene Guzman, Bonnie Calhoun, and Jamie Lapeyrolerie for your time and your feedback. This book tackles a whole lot of sensitive issues, race being one of them. I am forever grateful for your input.
Thank you to all the people who helped me with the various aspects of this novel I knew little to nothing about.
Yolanda Waters, for answering my salon questions. Paige Chinn and Debbie Whitten, my go-to gals for all things nursing and diabetes. Leigh Bowman and Kathy Ruggerberg, for your expertise in school administration, especially as it related to that dastardly Kyle. Kristi McFate and Julie Martin, for helping me understand the ins and outs of a color run. Jen and Jay Montgomery, for answering my clueless gun questions. Courtney Walsh and Laura Glynn Weaver, who know all about track and cross-country. And of course, my fellow adoptive mamas on Facebook, many of whom have adopted older kiddos like Jubilee. Y’all helped me bring authenticity to Jen’s story. Thank you for being Real.
Thank you to everyone who kept me functional as I wrote.
Paul and Lisa Glynn, for opening your home so I could work uninterrupted. Mary Weber, for not just being a friend as I grappled with fear and doubt but for being a sounding board too. Your heart is gold, and I love our deep conversations. Betsy Haddox (it’s so fun to write Haddox!), for encouraging me when this book was just a bean of an idea. The Inkettes, for some wonderful brainstorming in Washington, DC. Becky Wade and Courtney Walsh. Oh girls, how do I count the ways? And how in the world did I survive as a writer—as a person—before our three-way conversation on Voxer began? Melissa Gilroy, as always, for your unwavering support. And my husband, Ryan Ganshert. I couldn’t do any of this apart from you.
Thank yo
u to everyone on my team.
Rachelle Gardner, my fabulous agent, for believing in this story. My brilliant editor, Shannon Marchese, for not just saying yes when I came to you with an idea that wasn’t part of the contract but for championing this project. You let me follow my heart. You let me write what the Lord was pressing there, and I am so grateful. Cover designer, Mark Ford. Boy, did you earn your keep on this one! I’m not sure how many versions we went through, but I’m sure thrilled with where we landed. Hopefully the process didn’t give you too many gray hairs. Lissa Halls Johnson, for your attention to detail and putting up with my angst. (Why does it always come during line edits?) My production editor, Laura Wright. Jamie Lapeyrolerie and Chelsea Woodward and everyone else at WaterBrook and Penguin Random House, for getting this into the hands of readers.
A special thank you to Jemar Tisby and Tyler Burns from Pass the Mic, for the tireless work you do in opening eyes like mine. I pray that God would bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you as you continue onward.
And of course, thank you, Reader. Without you, this would be nothing but a bunch of words on a page. Thank you for picking it up. Thank you for bringing this story to life.
About the Author
KATIE GANSHERT is the author of eight novels and several works of short fiction. She has won both the Christy and Carol Awards for her writing and was awarded the RT Reviews Reviewers Choice for her novel, The Art of Losing Yourself. Katie makes her home in eastern Iowa with her family.
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You can connect with Katie at
[email protected]
www.katieganshert.com
Twitter: @KatieGanshert
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieGanshert
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