I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The story opens in the middle of the disaster before flashing back to the start of the journey. What was your initial reaction to this structure? How did knowing the outcome from the beginning shape your reading experience?

2. Lauren Tarshis has written many popular books in the I Survived series. If you’ve read any of her other works, how did I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937, compare for you? What do you think makes this particular historical event so effective as the basis for a book in this series?

3. By the end of the novel, did you feel the story was ultimately more about tragedy or about hope? What specific moments or character resolutions led you to feel that way?

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

1. Hugo’s driving motivation is his intense desire to protect his younger sister, Gertie. Can you think of a time when concern for a loved one pushed you to do something that felt daunting or difficult?

2. Throughout the journey, Hugo feels powerless over Gertie’s illness, even though he knows many facts about the airship. Have you ever been in a situation where what you knew intellectually couldn’t solve a personal problem? How did you navigate that feeling?

3. Gertie has an unfiltered, childlike way of seeing the world, like when she calls Colonel Kohl a “cobra.” Think about a moment when you’ve witnessed a child’s simple observation cut through adult complexity to reveal a plain truth. What makes this perspective so powerful?

4. When Hugo decides to create a distraction to save Mr. Singer, he acts on instinct and his trust in Mr. Singer’s character. What role do you think trust plays in making quick, high-stakes decisions?

5. The novel suggests that courage is not the absence of fear but the decision to act despite it. How did you see this idea play out in Hugo’s actions throughout the story? How does this definition of courage resonate with you?

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

1. The Hindenburg was a powerful symbol of German engineering that was co-opted for Nazi propaganda. How does the novel portray the tension between national pride and the menacing ideology of Nazism?

2. The spy subplot reflects the geopolitical realities of the 1930s. What did this element of espionage add to the story beyond the drama of the disaster itself? In what ways do fears of foreign influence or plots appear in our world today?

3. What did you make of the historical detail that the United States refused to sell its safer, non-flammable helium gas to Nazi Germany? How does this fact complicate the idea of who was responsible for the disaster and what it says about the intersection of politics and technology?

4. How do female characters function in the narrative? What were the gender dynamics of the era, and how does novel represent them?

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

1. Gertie’s game of comparing people to animals is a recurring motif. How does the author develop this device from a playful habit into a serious tool for moral judgment as the story progresses?

2. The guide notes that Hugo’s father makes a grimly ironic reference to the Titanic. Both stories feature a technological marvel that meets a tragic end, creating a contained world for the characters. How does the Hindenburg, as a setting, create a unique kind of tension compared to other famous disaster stories?

3. Hugo undergoes a significant character arc in a very short time. What specific events, besides the final disaster, were most crucial for his transformation from an anxious boy into a courageous young man?

4. Colonel Kohl serves as the story’s main villain. Why do you think the author chose to make him a symbolic figure of Nazi evil rather than a more psychologically complex character? Did this make him more or less effective as an antagonist for you?

5. The narrative pacing shifts between the slow-burning tension of the spy plot, the urgent crises of Gertie’s illness, and the sudden chaos of the crash. How did this changing pace affect your reading experience and build suspense?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. You are tasked with creating a small museum exhibit about the Hindenburg disaster for young visitors. Which character’s perspective would you center the exhibit on, and what three objects from the story would you feature to tell their story?

2. The story is told almost entirely from Hugo’s point of view. Choose a key scene, like the tense confrontation in the cargo hold, and describe how it might have been experienced from another character’s perspective. What would change, and why?

3. The novel concludes with Hugo just beginning his long road to recovery. What kind of advice or comfort do you think Peter Singer might offer to Hugo in a letter written a year after their shared ordeal?