Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens with Lena’s arrival at Ellis Island, a place often associated with hope and new beginnings. How did the novel’s opening at Ellis Island shape your expectations for the story? Did it align with or challenge your assumptions about immigration narratives?

2. If you’ve read other novels by Ellen Marie Wiseman, such as The Lost Girls of Willowbrook (2022), how does this book’s portrayal of institutional control and abuse compare? Do you notice recurring themes or differences in how she approaches historical injustice?

3. The story is built around two distinct historical tragedies: the application of eugenics at Ellis Island and the displacement of families for Shenandoah National Park. In what ways did you feel these two storylines effectively connected to and commented on one another?

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

1. Lena, Bonnie, and Jack Henry gradually form a “found family.” Think about a time when you formed a close bond with people who weren’t related to you. What aspects of their relationship in the novel felt authentic or familiar?

2. What does the idea of “home” mean to you? How did your own understanding of home shape your reaction to Silas’s fight to protect his family’s land?

3. Do you have a place that feels deeply connected to your family’s history, similar to Wolfe Hollow for the Wolfes? What emotions did the family’s removal from their land bring up for you?

4. Lena’s dream of America is quickly shattered by a harsh reality. Reflect on a moment when your own expectations for a new experience were very different from what you encountered. How did you adapt to the situation?

5. How did Bonnie’s initial hostility toward Lena resonate with you? Can you recall a situation where your first impression of someone was completely transformed after you came to understand their personal history and burdens?

6. Which character’s perseverance affected you most? Did their response to hardship make you reflect on how you handle difficult situations in your own life?

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

1. The novel portrays how labels such as “feebleminded” were used to justify discrimination during the eugenics movement. Do you see any echoes of this kind of reasoning in contemporary society? If so, where? If not, why do you think the historical context differs?

2. The government justified seizing land for Shenandoah National Park as serving the public good, even though it displaced hundreds of families. Can you think of contemporary examples where public or corporate projects conflict with the rights of local communities? How should such conflicts be handled?

3. The novel depicts Arthur Rothstein staging photographs to present a particular image of poverty. How did this portrayal affect your thinking about the relationship between media, truth, and public opinion? Do you see parallels in how images are used today?

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

1. Silas Wolfe occupies an uneasy position in the novel, at times threatening and at other times sympathetic. How did your perception of him shift as you learned more about his past and his conflict with the sheriff?

2. How did the 20-year time jump between Silas’s death and Lena’s reunion with Bonnie influence your experience of the story? What did it add or take away from the emotional resolution?

3. How does the author use the contrast between institutional spaces such as Ellis Island and the Colony and the natural landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains? What do these settings suggest about freedom, control, and belonging?

4. The novel repeatedly references physical marks and scars, such as the chalk X on Enzo’s coat and Bonnie’s scar. What do these marks come to represent over time?

5. Why might the author have chosen to make Bonnie a singer whose songs recount the story of the displaced Shenandoah families? What does this decision suggest about storytelling, memory, and the preservation of history?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were tasked with creating a memorial on the overgrown site of Wolfe Hollow Farm, what form would it take? What elements would you include to honor the Wolfe family and the hundreds of other families who were displaced?

2. Imagine you could write a letter to Miriam Sizer or Dr. Bell from a present-day perspective. What questions would you ask them? What would you want to say about how history has judged policies like the ones they supported?

3. The novel ends with Ella arranging for Enzo to visit for Christmas. If you were to imagine a sequel set ten years later, what might life look like for the reunited Conti and Wolfe families? What challenges or hopes might shape their future?