Half Broke Horses

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your immediate reaction to Walls’s portrayal of her grandmother Lily as someone who consistently refused to be constrained by societal expectations?

2. Half Broke Horses blurs the line between memoir and fiction, describing itself as a “true-life novel.” For readers of Walls’s more straightforward memoir The Glass Castle, which storytelling style did you find more engaging?

3. Which of Lily’s many adventures throughout the book did you find most captivating or memorable?

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

1. Lily asserts that states, “Life’s too short, honey, to worry what other people think of you” (198). In what areas of your own life have you either embraced or struggled with this philosophy?

2. Throughout her life, Lily faces numerous setbacks but always finds a way to move forward. What experiences in your own life have required similar resilience?

3. Lily develops a complex relationship with education, both as a student and as a teacher. What parallels do you see with your personal experiences in educational settings?

4. The book explores the tension between traditional values and progressive thinking. When have you navigated similar tensions in your own life?

5. Lily chooses to marry Jim because she recognizes that his steady nature complements her adventurous spirit. Where have you observed complementary relationships like this in your own life?

6. What valuable lessons have your own failures or setbacks taught you that connect to Lily’s father’s advice that “the most important thing in life is learning how to fall” (35)?

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

1. Half Broke Horses spans major historical events including World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. What new perspectives does Lily’s story offer on these well-documented historical periods?

2. The book depicts the changing roles of women in the early 20th century American West. What surprised you about the opportunities or limitations that Lily faced compared to women in other literature from this time period?

3. In what ways does Lily’s story challenge or reinforce your understanding of gender roles and expectations in the American Southwest during the early to mid-20th century?

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

1. The title Half Broke Horses becomes a metaphor throughout the narrative. Which characters, other than the actual horses, embody this metaphor, and how?

2. Walls constructs Lily’s first-person voice from family stories and historical context. Which elements of Lily’s narration felt most authentic or compelling to you?

3. Weather events like floods and droughts function as both literal challenges and symbolic elements in the book. What deeper meanings do these natural forces convey in relation to Lily’s journey?

4. What similarities and differences do you notice between Lily’s relationship with her mother and her later relationship with her daughter Rosemary?

5. Various vehicles appear throughout the narrative as Lily’s life progresses, from horses to cars to airplanes. What significance do these modes of transportation hold in relation to her character development and the book’s themes?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were to write a letter to Lily Casey Smith, what would you ask her or tell her about your own life and experiences?

2. Imagine Lily living in our current era. Which aspects of modern life would she embrace, and which would she reject?

3. If Half Broke Horses were adapted into a film, which actress would you cast as Lily, and which scenes would you consider essential to include?

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