DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR BOOK CLUBS

IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE BOOKS, PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS BELOW.

Discussion Questions for The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

  1. What do you think about underrepresented communities (BIPOC etc.) performing in the classical music world?

  2. Ray knows he is an excellent violinist without the Strad, and he would never sell it for money; why, then, is getting the Strad back such an all-consuming objective for him?

  3. Whenever Ray is challenged, he returns to the memory of his Grandma Nora in her pink house coat. What do you think of this?

  4. Ray also finds light in Janice, his mentor. What do you think Ray might have done differently if Janice hadn't approached him about music school, especially given his mother's influence?

  5. Ray's first experience with direct racial discrimination--where a person tells him his skin color means he deserves less--is connected to music. How do you think this affected his choices and trajectory as a musician?

  6. Ray had every excuse to reject the world that rejects him at every turn--particularly the family members who didn't believe in him. Why does he instead endeavor to take his grandmother's advice of staying sweet to heart?

  7. At the same time, Ray isn't a pushover; he calls people out on their prejudices. What message does this get across to readers?

  8. The author uses the novel to explore what it means to do what you love – but you might often be discouraged, whether by discrimination, societal expectation, or the simple fear it will never be enough. What are your thoughts on this?

  9. Did this book change you at all? Now that you’ve read it, do you have any new perspectives as a result of reading this story?

  10. Ray’s mother doesn’t want him to go to college or succeed in any way. Do you know people like this? How real did she seem as a character?

  11. Race is important in the novel, but Nicole’s race is never discussed. Why is that?

  12. Why do you think the Marks family felt so entitled to the violin?

  13. What do you believe the solution to the disparaging numbers of musicians of color in major symphony orchestras is?

  14. Ray’s mentor Dr Janice Stevens, guides him through his path from gifted teenager to world-class concert violinist. How important are mentors in his situation? Can you describe the mentors in your own life?

  15. Do you agree or disagree with these statements, and why?

    • Alone, we are a solitary violin, a lonely flute, a trumpet singing in the dark. Together, we are a symphony.

    • The one student who didn’t look like or play like everyone else, got the most out of my session. That’s why I am here. I gave that young man what no one else was willing to: a chance.

    • You work twice as hard. Even three times. For the rest of your life. It’s not fair, but that’s how it is. Some people will always see you as less than they are. So you have to be twice as good as them.

Discussion Questions for Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb

  1. Was Freddy wrong, given who he was and when he lived, to “help” Josephine the way he did?

  2. Is Freddy a hero or a villain, and why?

  3. If Josephine hadn’t been Black, do you think that Freddy could have gotten away with what he did?

  4. If Josephine hadn’t been neurodivergent, do you think that Freddy could have gotten away with what he did?

  5. In the author’s note, he says that he wrote this book to be a “voice for the voiceless”. What do you think he meant and have you ever felt silenced? Have you ever tried to help others who could be seen as “voiceless”? If so, how?

  6. Was the Delaney Foundation inherently greedy or evil, or were they just trying to preserve their legacy?

  7. How important, or unimportant, was it that most of the Board members were white, and that Bern and Eboni were Black?

  8. In the 1920s, many composers would go to jazz clubs and appropriate melodies and themes from other musicians. Is this appropriation necessarily bad, or is that just what art is – to adapt someone else’s vision and make it your own? How much is too much?

  9. Bern struggled when he discovered that his idol, Freddy Delaney, had done some really rotten things. Have you ever had your idealism destroyed when someone you looked up to turned out to be not what you expected?

  10. Do you think it’s important that the present-day story line never discovered what happened to Josephine?

  11. The author has said that the book is about the limits of human knowledge. How do you think the story lines and themes play into that?

  12. Who’s your favorite character and why?