The Topeka School

How does the concept of glossolalia relate to The Topeka School’s theme of a breakdown of language?

Adam and Darren are literary foils—ostensibly similar characters with contrasting characteristics. How do Adam and Darren differ? How are they the same? How do these similarities and differences reflect their social environment?

Discuss the debating practice of the spread, in which debaters rapidly read off pieces of evidence to drown their opponents. How does the spread manifest in the novel’s version of American society? Does it have a positive or negative effect? Why?

Though The Topeka School is set in the 1990s, there are numerous references to the 21st century. Why does Lerner discuss contemporary politics in his novel? What connection does he imply between the 1990s and later US political developments?

Why does the narrator often break the fourth wall? How does this practice connect to the book’s themes of language and writing?

Do the novel’s characters believe that language and rationality can overcome misogyny, racism, and other forms of prejudice? Why or why not?

How does toxic masculinity affect the novel’s characters? Is there a difference between how it affects the male and female characters?

Discuss “the Men.” Are Adam, Jonathan, and Darren part of “the Men,” as Jane worries? How do their actions affirm or distance toxic masculinity?