Junie

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overarching impressions of Junie. What were your favorite and least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. How did your experience reading Junie compare to your experience reading other historical fiction novels set during the same era? For example, what narrative and thematic overlaps do you notice between Junie and titles like Tara Conklin’s The House Girl or Percival Everett’s James?

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

1. How did you respond when Junie and Violet McQueen decided to burn down Bellereine? How did this climactic scene confirm or subvert your expectations of Junie?

2. How does Junie’s familial sphere compare with your own? Which aspects of her family community resonated most strongly with you, and why?

3. Junie stands up to Violet in the latter chapters of the novel. Have you ever had to draw similar lines in your own relationships? Have you ever discovered that a close friendship wasn’t as reciprocal as you thought? How did your attempts to handle this balance of power compare with Junie’s?

4. Discuss the evolution of Junie and Caleb’s relationship. How does their romantic dynamic compare with your own relationship experiences? Which aspects of their dynamic were most and/or least relatable to you?

5. Minnie’s ghost acts as Junie’s guide. Have you ever had a similar experience with the supernatural? What do you believe spirits, ghosts, or ancestors can offer an individual?

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

1. Junie is set during the final year before secession, on the cusp of the American Civil War. Analyze how this historical setting relates to Junie’s narrative circumstances and the novel’s thematic explorations. Does the conflict between the North and South play into Junie’s story? How would the narrative change if it were set in a different year before the war?

2. Junie’s story is about the enslavement of African Americans in the American South. How does Eckstine subvert stereotypical representations of this experience? Consider how Junie relates to others, how she thinks about the world, and what she wants for herself. How do the unexpected aspects of Junie’s character and story create a subtextual commentary on other fictional representations of this era?

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

1. The novel is written from a third-person point of view and limited to Junie’s perspective. Explore the narrative, formal, and thematic effects of this point of view choice. How would the novel resonate differently if it were written from Junie’s first-person point of view?

2. How do the four seasonal divisions of the novel’s narrative structure relate to Junie’s experience? How did this temporal scaffolding impact how you understood Junie’s life at Bellereine?

3. The novel is set in Lowndes County, Alabama, just outside of Selma. Discuss how this overarching setting contributes to the novel’s mood. How would the narrative atmosphere, circumstances, and conflicts differ if Junie were set elsewhere?

4. Identify three key symbols in the novel and discuss their significance. For example, how do symbols like the Bellereine house, Snow White, the wooden apple, or the necklace deepen the thematic resonances of Junie’s story?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were adapting Junie into a film, who would you cast in the leading roles? Which plot points might you add, omit, or alter to make the adaptation your own?

2. Create a playlist that captures the arc of Junie’s self-emancipation journey. As you choose your songs, consider which events or scenes contribute to Junie’s growth and lead her toward freedom. What moods do these scenes elicit? Share your playlists and discuss your reasoning behind each chosen song.

3. Junie’s story ends ambiguously: She is still on the river and doesn’t yet know what comes next for her. Write an epilogue that depicts a scene from Junie’s life a year in the future. How do you imagine her life changes after leaving Bellereine? Does she end up settling with Uncle George? Does Caleb find her?