Catching Moondrops
by Jennifer Erin Valent

List Price: $12.99
Pages: 284
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781414333274
Publisher: Tyndale House

Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1938, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she’s always dreamed of. But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett --- a young, black doctor --- comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town’s surface. The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie’s elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment. And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the klan members who have terrorized her town and her family.

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1. In Catching Moondrops racial prejudice again rears its ugly head in Calloway, and some members of the black community are increasingly unwilling to accept it. While Malachi Jarvis becomes defiant, Tal Pritchett favors a more peaceful resistance. Discuss the different approaches these men took to express their independence.

2. The Ku Klux Klan reappears six years after they terrorized the Lassiter family. How did Jessilyn’s reaction differ from Gemma’s?

3. When Gemma’s church is burned, she and Jessilyn have opposite reactions yet again. While Gemma’s main concern is the well-being of Tal and the others at the church, Jessilyn is consumed by a desire for revenge. What does this tell us about Gemma’s heart? about Jessilyn’s?

4. Jessilyn isn’t the only one discovering love this time around. Tal Pritchett quickly turns Gemma’s heart inside out, and though Jessilyn initially encourages her best friend to pursue him, she suddenly becomes burdened by their relationship. What brought about the change of heart, and how did she move past it? Have you ever been in her shoes?

5. For the first time in Jessilyn’s life, she’s turning to someone besides her father with her fears and worries: Luke. How has time and age begun to make Jessilyn turn to someone other than her father for security?

6. Miss Cleta again defies tradition by receiving medical care from Tal Pritchett. Why was Gemma so concerned about her doing this, and what were the eventual repercussions of Miss Cleta’s decision?

7. Like Miss Cleta’s choice to be treated by Tal, how did the trouble between Delmar and Malachi at the meeting place stir the pot of racial prejudice in Calloway?

8. The KKK lynching is a horrifying experience for Jessilyn, haunting her dreams and sapping her strength. But we only see true shame from one member of the Klan. What do you think is the cause of such depravity? How are we all susceptible to evil infiltrating our hearts, and what can we do to keep that from happening?

9. Jessilyn’s own heart is at risk when she allows bitterness and hate to fill it. What happens to make her see how lost she truly is? How does that moment change her life?

10. When Jessilyn discovers the darkness of her soul, she reaches out to the God she’s heard about all her life but never truly felt the need for. What’s the difference between believing in God and inviting Him to be Lord of your life?

11. Mrs. Jarvis’s appearance at Cole Mundy’s funeral is a stunning portrayal of forgiveness and grace. How does that moment affect those present and how do you think it turned the tide for race relations in Calloway?

12. Jessilyn’s new life began the day she humbled herself before the God. What changes do we see in her as Catching Moondrops comes to a close? Have you experienced a similar moment in your life? And, if so, how did that moment affect your future?

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