to Zimbabwe? How are Darling's ideas about American pop culture affirmed or challenged when she arrives in Detroit?ĥ. Did that surprise you? How do you see pop culture moving from the U.S.

Despite living in poverty, a world away from American culture, we see through the lives of Darling and her friends that lots of American pop culture makes its way firmly into the imagination of these young people-from Beyonce to McDonald's to the television show ER. Do you think that is true? What role does literature play in how we experience and understand global tragedy and other cultures? How does Darling's voice contribute to that picture for readers?Ĥ. Does Bulawayo's method of depicting tragedy make the harrowing elements resonate with you in an unexpected way? In recent years, elements of the media, such as video games and movies, have been taken to task for possibly desensitizing us to tragedy. How do Bulawayo's descriptions of Zimbabwe diverge from other portrayals of Africa? In some of the tragic moments in the book-for example, when Darling and her friends try to remove the baby from Chipo's belly-there are unexpected moments of levity. Do you think this is a fair accusation? Does Darling owe anything to Zimbabwe? And is she still entitled to a sense of ownership over the place she left behind?ģ. When Darling is living in America, she Skypes with Chipo, who tells her that she can't refer to Zimbabwe as her country anymore.

Does living with fewer people in probably more middle class circumstances give Darling a more intimate family life? Or was her family life in Zimbabwe more supportive or affirming for her? What are the advantages of living in a more open community like the community Darling is born into in Zimbabwe, and is it possible for us to achieve that kind of family structure here in the U.S?Ģ. When she moves to Detroit, Michigan, she lives in a smaller family unit, and perhaps a more conventional one. As the novel opens, we see that Darling is living in a close knit community of extended family members and friends.

We need new names