Call Your Daughter Home

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of child abuse.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What strikes you most about Spera’s decision to tell this story through three distinct female voices from different social classes? How does this multi-perspective approach enhance your understanding of 1920s Southern society, compared to novels like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird that focus on a single viewpoint?

2. Spera builds toward moments where each protagonist must choose between maintaining social expectations and protecting children. Did you find their final choices believable and satisfying?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. How do you view the different ways Gertrude, Annie, and Retta navigate the pressure to keep family secrets? Which character’s approach to handling shame and guilt resonates most with your own experiences?

2. The novel explores how economic desperation can trap people in dangerous situations. Have you observed similar patterns in your own community where financial constraints limit people’s options for escaping harmful circumstances?

3. What role does community support play in the characters’ survival and recovery? Have you ever found yourself in need of that type of support? What community did you rely on?

4. Each protagonist crosses social boundaries that their society considers inappropriate. When have you found yourself challenged to step outside your comfort zone to help someone from a different background or social group?

5. Retta struggles with the knowledge of Edwin’s crimes for years before finally speaking out. What factors do you think influence people’s decisions about when to break silence about wrongdoing they’ve witnessed?

6. The novel shows how maternal instincts can drive people to extraordinary acts of courage. How do you think parenthood or caring for others changes a person’s willingness to take risks?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The story depicts the Southern culture of honor, where reputation matters more than truth-telling. How do you see similar dynamics playing out in contemporary society regarding scandal, reputation, and social media?

2. Spera sets her novel during the economic devastation caused by the boll weevil infestation. How do the characters’ responses to this agricultural crisis reflect broader patterns you’ve observed during economic downturns?

3. The rigid social hierarchies in Branchville determine who gets believed and who gets silenced when accusations are made. What parallels do you see between these power dynamics and contemporary discussions about whose voices are heard in cases of abuse or misconduct?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Food appears throughout the novel as both literal sustenance and a symbol of care and community belonging. How does Spera use the presence or absence of food to develop character relationships and highlight social inequalities?

2. Why do you think Spera chose to structure the novel around the specific timeframe from August to October 1924? How does this compressed timeline intensify the characters’ transformations?

3. The novel employs hunting metaphors to describe predatory behavior and protective maternal instincts. How do these metaphors shape your understanding of the power dynamics between characters?

4. Each protagonist experiences moments where they see ghosts or supernatural visions. What purpose do these supernatural elements serve in a story that’s otherwise grounded in historical realism?

5. How does the Homecoming Camp setting function beyond simply providing a dramatic backdrop for the climax? What does this traditional community gathering reveal about the values and contradictions within Branchville society?

6. Spera gives each character a distinctive narrative voice by using first-person narration throughout. Which character’s voice felt most authentic to you, and what specific language choices helped establish their individual perspectives? How do authors like Kathryn Stockett in The Help compare to Spera in their handling of multiple Southern female voices?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you could design an alternative ending where Annie chooses a different response to discovering Edwin’s crimes, what path might she take? How would this change affect the other characters’ story arcs?

2. Imagine you’re creating a museum exhibit about women’s experiences in the 1920s rural South. Which three objects from the novel would you choose to represent the central themes, and how would you display them to tell the story?

3. The novel ends with each protagonist in a new living situation, but their futures remain open. Write a brief epilogue set five years later describing where you imagine Gertrude and her daughters might be and what challenges or successes they might face?

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