I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937

Analyze how the novel’s flashforward structure, which reveals the disaster in the first chapter then starts the narrative, which begins six weeks prior. How does knowing the ending shape the meaning of the Ballard family’s journey? Does it ruin or heighten the suspense? Provide support from the text in your response.

How does the novel contrast Gertie’s direct, instinctual comparisons with Hugo’s more experience-based analogies to build its argument about innocence and perception?

How does Tarshis use the airship’s physical setting—its structure, passenger areas, machinery, and cargo hold—as a microcosm of prewar, 1930s-era society?