Unfriended

Talk about the meaning of Truly’s name. What does it say about her personality? How does Truly’s behavior evolve and begin to deviate from, and then revert back to, the meaning of her name?

Unpack the campaign against Truly. Why do email and social media play a pivotal role? How does Hazel create the initial conflict, and what does this indicate about the depth of her feelings of betrayal? Does Hazel fully atone for her behavior by the end of the novel?

The characters give their opinions on social media and its impact on them. Hazel suggests being online isn’t the problem. Truly agrees, but adds, “I guess the online-ness of it did make it all worse” (409). Engage with their dialogue. How does bullying predate social media? How does social media make bullying “worse”?

Rosalind Wiseman published a famous sociological study of girl friendships in school, Queen Bees and Wannabes. Read her book and discuss how her findings relate to the popular crowd in Truly’s school. Wiseman claims people in the popular crowd have roles. What roles, if any, do the people in Brooke’s popular crowd play? Wiseman also claims that popular groups demand loyalty and conformity. Does Brooke want people to follow her beliefs? What are her principles?

Truly alludes to the number of movies about popular girls in school. Watch one of the films and compare it to the popular crowd in Vail’s novel. How are the girls in Heathers like the girls in the book? Are there any similarities between the girls in Mean Girls and the girl characters in the story?

How does the book demystify popularity? What are the standard portrayals of popular school cliques, and how does Vail subvert them? In what instances are these portrayals upheld, specifically in characters like Natasha? Provide examples of Vail making the popular young people look human, flawed, and not very popular.

Discuss the symbolism behind the popular table. Why does Vail capitalize it? What happens if a person isn’t allowed to sit at it? Then compare the table to Natasha’s kitchen table at home, where she says her stepfather unseated her father. What does this contrast tell us about Natasha’s need to be popular? Why does it matter so much to her?

Compare Natasha and Hazel, two of Truly’s antagonists. What makes Hazel more likable than Natasha? Conversely, how does Vail elicit sympathy for Natasha despite her ongoing cruelty? What prompts Hazel to become Truly’s friend again? How is Natasha’s and Truly’s status improved but far from settled?