Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of the novel. Which aspects of Moth and Sani’s story resonated most with you, and why?

2. Compare and contrast Me (Moth) to McBride’s other novels. How do the narrative and thematic elements of this title relate to Onyx & Beyond or Magick Hoodoo Novel?

3. How does McBride’s version of the YA novel-in-verse align with or diverge from similar titles, such as K. A. Holt’s Redwood & Ponytail and Jason Reynolds’s Twenty-Four Seconds from Now….? How does the verse form compare to a more traditional prose narrative?

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

1. The cross-country road trip Moth and Sani take helps them to reorient themselves and find peace. Have you ever had a trip that helped you discover more about yourself, or helped you find your direction in life? 

2. Both Moth and Sani’s lives are shaped by hardship. What kinds of experiences, good or bad, have had the greatest impact on your own life? 

3. Moth feels as if Sani is the first person who has ever truly seen her. Reflect on your most transformative friendship. How did this relationship make you feel understood, and why?

4. Moth and Sani have fractured family lives, but also cherish close bonds with some of their relatives, such as Moth’s fond memories of her grandfather and Sani’s attachment to his father. What role has family, whether biological or found family, played in your own life and sense of identity?

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

1. The novel explores the link between ancestral heritage and personal identity and healing. How do McBride’s reflections on the Hoodoo and Diné traditions relate to histories of oppression and erasure in United States history? How has this erasure impacted Black and Indigenous generations, and does McBride believably depict this experience?

2. Via Moth’s story, the novel explores how tragedy and trauma can impact the adolescent psyche. Via Sani’s story, the novel explores how childhood mental health diagnoses might impact the individual’s sense of self. Explore Moth’s and Sani’s stories in the context of contemporary mental health discussions, particularly teen mental health. Does McBride disrupt or reinforce stereotypes, and how?

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

1. Analyze the novel’s use of poetic verse. How does the novel’s poetic form enact Moth’s experience? What literary techniques does she use to bring her poems to life, and what are the effects of these techniques?

2. Compare and contrast Moth’s and Sani’s characters. What defines each of them, and how do they each see one another? How are they different or similar?

3. Analyze the use of settings throughout the novel, particularly in the context of the characters’ road trip. How do each of the places Moth and Sani visit impact them differently, mobilize their healing journeys, and/or develop the novel’s themes?

4. Identify three symbols not explored in the guide and analyze their significance. For example, what do tattoos, New York City, devil’s root, or Sani’s guitar symbolize, and how do they relate to the novel’s themes of healing, inheritance, and/or grief?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are adapting Me (Moth) into a film. Who would you cast in the leading roles? How would you structure the film? How would you translate the poetic moods, tones, and textures of the novel to the screen?

2. Create a playlist that captures the mood of Moth and Sani’s road trip. How might each song represent a different place, experience, or revelation over the course of the trip? Share your playlists and discuss your reasoning behind each song you chose.