Discussion Questions

1. Carole Boston Weatherford discusses the impact of Alex Haley’s book, Roots, on her as a teenager and now. Identify the key points and the ways in which her reactions changed over time. Who is Alex Haley and what has been his impact as a journalist and author? Review journal and magazine articles and list ten facts you acquired. How does Haley’s book, as well as the 1619 Project, shape Kin?

• How the TV Adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots Sparked a Cultural Awakening
• Black Genealogy After Alex Haley’s Roots

2. The book cover is arresting. Determine clues in the text that suggest who the individual depicted on the cover might be. What are some possible meanings of the foliage surrounding the person on the cover?

3. Describe how the illustrations change, develop, or remain the same throughout the book. Chart your responses.

4. Select four poems from the book that capture what you believe are the experiences and feelings of the enslaved. Compare their responses to those of the enslavers.

5. Discuss the technique of presenting alternating views of the enslaved and enslavers. How does the structure allow for greater insight into the individuals?

6. Carole Boston Weatherford chose to present her poems in chronological form. What are some effects of this structure?

7. Historic figures are interspersed throughout the book. What is the impact of reading about Frederick Douglass, Francis Scott Key, and others?

8. Literacy, the ability to read and write, is a powerful tool. Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” (p. 43) Discuss in groups what Douglass meant by this, and why enslavers did not want the enslaved to be literate.

9. Irony is the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. An example of irony is the vignette about Francis Scott Key. (pp. 139–141) Explain why it’s ironic.

10. A person’s kin is their family members and those they are related to, but in the institution of slavery, people were often separated from their families, forcing them to create new family relationships, including adopted families and chosen families. Describe examples of these unique family bonds and relationships from the book.

11. Identify five ways in which Carole Boston Weatherford presents the interior lives of the enslaved (e.g., spitting in the food of the lascivious guest or the pain of not keeping one’s children).

12. The Lloyds and other enslavers would list the names of their enslaved people in ledgers of their property, along with things like their farm animals, furniture, and clothes. The author goes on to call the names of the enslaved that she found in these ledgers. A person’s name validates their existence, is proof that they lived. Discuss in small groups what your name means to you. Include any meanings your name might have in different languages, or if you share your name with other members of your family or ancestors, and how that makes you feel.

13. Metaphors are used throughout the book, for example, Marena Copper’s mirage and her comparison of the anchor with the ball and chain, and the sails of a slave ship with bed sheets. (p. 97) Select four examples and discuss their meanings.

14. In a small group discussion, talk about the use of multiple characters used to propel the story forward. How might responses change if the author focused on fewer perspectives with a more traditional narrative structure?

15. Create a reader’s theater script for sections of Kin and perform it.