1. Did you enjoy reading this memoir? Were you attracted to, or put off by, the format? Do you think it is important to read this book cover to cover, or could you pick it up at intervals and skip around? Would it lose it meaning or overall impact?

2. Laurie's father abused her as a child. By the end of the book, has she forgiven him? Have you?

3. What do you think happened to Laurie in "219 Maple Street? Are there other poems reflect on that incident?

4. The author tells us about the "jailhouse right across from my school." What significance does this have for her family? Do you think this had a traumatic effect on them?

5. In "Second Thing," what do you think Laurie is referring to with "forty pounds of flesh"?

6. As a child, Laurie seemed unable to win her mother's love. Before her mother dies, is this issue resolved for Laurie? If so, when? Do you have sympathy for her mother?

7. Who is Laurie's literary hero? Do you think it was important to her to identify with someone in that way?

8. In "I Wish," the author lies to the reader. Explain.

9. Who do you think "I Hid" is about?

10. Since this memoir is written in poems, did you feel there were any gaps in her history? Do you think her past experiences are amplified or diminished?

11. What are Laurie's fears? What does she always seem to be running from? Will she be able to confront her problems? Are people able to surmount their pasts or will they always be haunted by them?

12. Who do you see as the bully in Laurie's family? Her father? Her mother? Herself?

13. Discuss the author's sickness that she writes about in the section "Losing My Way"?

14. How did the poem "Once" make you feel toward the author? Can you relate to her feelings?

15. "Oh Boy" is about the author's son. What do you think he suffers from?

16. The author struggles with her own happiness throughout the book. Review "Ordinary" and "The Sirens" and discuss whether you think the author is satisfied with her life. Do her expectations prevent her from being happy?