Warden Sanders reveals a personal history of abuse, yet she is the primary agent of institutional cruelty against Cussy. To what extent does this revelation complicate her role as an antagonist?

Analyze the narrative gains and losses of using Cussy’s limited first-person perspective to explore themes of institutional power and prejudice.

Research the 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell and the eugenics movement in mid-20th-century America. How does this historical context inform the threats of forced sterilization Cussy faces?

Citing specific evidence from the text, analyze how the novel connects the persecution Cussy endures with the prejudice faced by Mrs. Claxton and Daniel Presland.

The novel moves between rural Appalachia, a women’s prison, an urban Black community, and northern exile. How do these distinct settings function to explore different facets of community and the limitations of freedom in America?

How does Richardson use different forms of text to explore the conflict between individual identity and institutional power? Use at least three examples to support your position.

If you have read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (2019), compare Cussy’s role as a community activist in that novel to her struggle for personal survival in this one. How does her character evolve?

Analyze the effectiveness and limitations of the acts of resistance, beyond literacy, that the incarcerated women use to reclaim their humanity.