DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.Thesubtitleof
The Memory of All That
is“GeorgeGershwin,KaySwift,andMyFamily’sLegacyofIndelities.”Whatdoesitmeantohavealegacyofindelities?2.Whataresomeoftheotherindelities,beyondtheromancebetweenKaySwiftandGeorgeGershwin,inWeber’sfamilyhistory?3.Arethereanyrelationshipsinherfamilythatarenotdenedinsomewaybyanactofindelity?Whointhisstoryiscapableofloyaltyanddelity?4.TheFBIconsideredtheauthor’sfather,SidneyKaufman,tobeunfaithfultotheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Wasthisavalidsuspicion?Whatwastheeffectoftheirdecadesofsurveillance?5.HowdoyouthinkWeber’sownmarriagehasbeenaffectedbyherfamily’shistory?6.
Library Journal
,whilecallingthebook“athoroughlyengagingfamilymemoir,”said:“Thelackoffaithfulnessinfamilyrelations,sexualandotherwise,wasasourceofpainthatWeberstroveforyearstoovercome—apparentlysuccessfully.”Doyouagree?Whydoyouthinkshedidn’twriteaboutthisdirectly?7.Howwouldfamilymembersdescribedinthebookhavetoldtheirstories?HowdoyouthinkSidneyKaufmanwouldfeelaboutthisbook?8.WhydoyouthinkKaySwiftwantedalltheirlettersdestroyedafterGeorgeGershwin’sdeath?9.IfGeorgeGershwinhadnotdiedatage38in1937,howmightWeber’slifehavebeendifferent?Wouldithavebeendifferent?10.Weber’sfamilytreehasbranchesthatholdarangeofdisparatecharacters,fromBenedictArnoldandKaySwifttoAbyWarburgandSidneyKaufman.Aretheremembersofherfamilywhosestoriesremindyouofyourownfamilyhistory?Doyouthinkhavingaplaceonthisfamilytreeisagiftoraburden?11.Isthisbookatypicalmemoir?WhatdidWeberchoosenottowriteabout?12.Arethereincidentsordetailsin
The Memory of All That
whichmighthaveinspiredelementsinanyofWeber’svenovels?13.Howdofamilystoriesshapeus?Whydosomefamilieshonortheirownhistorieswhileotherfamiliesareindifferenttothepast?Docertaingroupsofpeoplecareaboutfamilyhistorymorethanothers?14.Ifyoucouldmeetanyofthecastofcharactersin
The Memory of All That
,whowoulditbe?
For more information visit www.KatharineWeber.com.
TheMemoryofAllThat
GeorgeGershwin,KaySwift,andMyFamily’sLegacyofIndelities
KatharineWeber
Reading group guide for
The Memory of All That
by Katharine Weber. Copyright © 2011 by the Crown Publishing Group. Distributed by permission of the Crown Publishing Group, a divi-sion of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this reading group guide may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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