I finally finished reading Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen. If you’re over thirty, it’s a must read. I saw myself and many of the intricacies of the relationships in my life interwoven between the pages. Initially my goal for the book was to use it to relaunch my Facebook book club- Pretty Dope Reads. But then I got the better idea to use my blog as a host for book discussions. That way, readers could access the discussions independent of Facebook. 

The discussion questions have been curated in a way that doesn’t give away any of the details of the book. That way, they can be answered by any general audience but also those that have read the book and have actual context. 

Pretty dope right?

This is a trial run for now. Regardless, the engagement won’t determine if I’ll continue doing it this way or not. Cause one thing about me, I’mma read a book and talk about it til I’m black and blue in the face. Especially a good one. 

But I’ve done enough yip yappin’. Here are the discussion questions. 

• How many items have you checked off your life goals checklist? What’s left? What’s in the way?
• Why do you think parent’s avoid discussing certain topics with their children?
• Is there/was there an elder family member that is/was always a safe space for you? Why?
• In your current friend group, do you share all the tea at once or are you selective even in the friend group? Would you get offended if your friends were to hang out without you?
• When was the last time that you should have stood up for yourself but you didn’t? Why not?
• Has anyone, family or not, advised you to focus more on your man/woman and not on your career? What was your response?
• Have you ever been blindsided by the abrupt ending of a relationship (personally or professionally)? How did you respond to it?
• What has been the best advice an elder has given you concerning men/women?
• What do you do to remind you not to “lose yourself” in the monotony of life?
• Have you ever had a major fight/argument within your friend group(s)? How did you reconcile?
• If there has been a major loss in your life, how did you overcome it?

Feel free to share (giving credit where it’s due of course) or discuss within the comments or we can chat via email. Feedback is welcomed.