Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Christine Kuehn’s narrative is a unique blend of personal memoir, historical investigation, and espionage thriller. How did this combination of genres affect your reading experience? 

2. How does Family of Spies compare to other works you might have read that explore similar themes, such as Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts (2011)? 

3. What single revelation from the author’s 30-year investigation surprised you the most? Explain your answer.

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

1. The story is built around the corrosive nature of family secrets. What did you take away about the choice between protecting a family’s legacy through silence versus proclaiming the truth to the world? 

2. The family’s ability to live an idyllic life in Hawaii while simultaneously plotting its destruction is a stark example of compartmentalization. Has someone you know ever engaged in this defense mechanism to reconcile contradictory aspects of their life? 

3. Otto’s initial attraction to the Nazi party was fueled by Hitler’s promise to restore national pride. In your opinion, when does patriotism cross the line into a more dangerous form of nationalism? 

4. Near the end of her quest, the author travels to Germany to meet her estranged relatives. How does this act of reconciliation serve as a counterpoint to the family’s history of secrets?

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

1. How does Christine Kuehn use the writing of her family’s story as a warning for today’s society? 

2. What does Otto Kuehn’s case reveal about the tension between ensuring national security and upholding individual rights during a crisis? 

3. How do the activities of Friedel and Ruth challenge (or conform to) traditional ideas about women’s involvement in espionage and war?

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

1. The author, Christine Kuehn, positions herself as both investigator and inheritor of this story. How does her first-person journey of discovery shape the narrative? 

2. How does the author convey the Kuehns’ deep immersion in the world of intrigue and espionage in Hawaii? Was any aspect of their lives left untainted by their mission? 

3. The desire for money drives nearly all the Kuehns’ decisions. How does this relentless focus on finances compare to their commitment to the Nazis’ ideology? 

4. Like David Grann in Killers of the Flower Moon (2017), Christine Kuehn reconstructs a historical crime by weaving together official records, personal letters, and firsthand accounts. How does this documentary-style approach build a sense of authenticity? 

5. Do any of Christine Kuehn’s personal interjections reveal her innate biases? (Consider also her tendency to fictionalize certain key moments of her grandparents’ history.)

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you are a curator tasked with designing a museum exhibit based on Family of Spies. What three objects or documents mentioned in the book would you select as centerpieces to tell the story of the Kuehn family’s espionage, and why? 

2. What do you imagine a conversation between Christine and her father would have sounded like if he had not developed dementia and had been able to share his story more fully? 

3. Ruth’s burning of the family records was a dramatic attempt to erase a painful past. If you were to design a “counter-archive” to memorialize the truth of this story, what form might it take, and what would its central message be?