The Humans

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The extraterrestrial narrator begins by claiming to write a scientific report, but he instead delivers a deeply personal account that evolves as he falls in love with humanity. What effect did this narrative approach have on your understanding of the story?

2. What similarities do you notice between The Humans and Haig’s The Midnight Library, particularly in how both explore themes of finding meaning in human existence?

3. Which aspects of Andrew’s observations about human behavior did you find most insightful or amusing?

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

1. When have you found yourself, like Andrew, seeing familiar aspects of human behavior through fresh eyes?

2. Which human customs or social conventions would be most difficult to explain to someone experiencing Earth for the first time?

3. Andrew discovers that love gives humans purpose and strength despite our mortality. What examples from your observations support or challenge this perspective on love’s role in human life?

4. Which character’s emotional journey most resonated with your own experiences of belonging or isolation?

5. The alien observes that humans use distractions like football to avoid confronting mortality. What activities or pursuits do you think best help people find meaning despite awareness of life’s brevity?

6. The novel suggests that our imperfections and limitations make human experiences valuable. What aspects of the human condition that Andrew initially despised do you find most precious?

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

1. Andrew—the alien narrator’s human form—is institutionalized for behaving outside social norms. What does this reveal about how contemporary society treats those perceived as different?

2. The aliens fear that humans aren’t ready for advanced mathematical knowledge. What current technological developments might support or challenge their concern about human responsibility?

3. In what ways does the book’s commentary on human reliance on technology and social connection feel prophetic nearly a decade after its publication?

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

1. What narrative techniques does Haig use to make the alien’s perspective both believable and emotionally resonant?

2. Clothing functions as both a plot device (Andrew’s initial nudity) and a metaphor for how humans hide their true selves. What other everyday objects in the novel reveal deeper truths about human nature?

3. What does the paradox of mathematics as both potential destruction and salvation suggest about the dual nature of human knowledge?

4. How does Gulliver’s struggle with depression and alienation parallel or contrast with Andrew’s growing understanding of humanity?

5. Why might Haig have chosen music as the art form that most powerfully connects Andrew to human emotion?

6. The novel presents a society (Vonnadoria) where logical thinking has eliminated all pain but also all love. What statement does this make about the relationship between rationality and emotion in human existence?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were an alien visitor sent to Earth, what aspect of our existence would you find most beautiful or worth preserving?

2. Andrew creates a list of 97 pieces of advice for being human. What wisdom about navigating human existence would you add as item #98?

3. Imagine a conversation between the alien Andrew and the original human Professor Andrew Martin about what truly matters in life. What insights might they share with each other?

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