72 hour hold by bebe moore campell

Project description
CRITICAL THINKING/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The novel is narrated from Keris point of view. How does she present herself as a character in the opening chapter? What are the traits that have made her a

successful businesswoman? How does her character contrast with that of her teenage daughter?

2. Dr. Ustinov tells Keri, Your daughter is bipolar (p.25). Consider the terms in which Dr. Ustinov presents Trinas illness to Keri (p.29); his approach is purely

factual while hers is psychological and filled with guilt. Does Keri begin to lose her guilt about Trinas illness as the novel proceeds, or does she continue to feel

that in some sense, its always Mommys fault (p.30)?

3. Friendships between women are important in this novel: what kinds of support and strength do women offer each other? Discuss examples of the loyalty and love shared

between women characters in the story.

4. How does Keris history with her mothers alcoholism affect her approach to Trinas illness? In what ways is Keris refusal to forgive her mother understandable and in

what ways does she refuse to realize that her mother might also be considered to have a brain disease? How does Keri eventually make the choice to let her mother back

into her life?

5. In what ways does 72 Hour Hold help readers question the phenomenon that having a perfect child (high achieving, popular, talented, beautiful, etc.) contributes

greatly to a parents self esteem and social status? Does Keri eventually let go of these ideas, and if so, how?

6. What is the effect of Campbells frequent use of the metaphor of slaveryits images, its terrors, its punishing psychologythroughout the novel? See, for instance,

page 3 (the hounds are tracking you) and page 28 (I embarked on my own Middle Passage that night, marching backward, ankles shackled). If Keris experience with her

daughters mental illness is like the experience of slavery, does the novel yield any sense of liberation from this condition?

7. How does Keris relationship with Orlando differ from her relationship with Clyde? At a moment of extreme crisis in the story, it seems as though Keri will get back

together with Clyde. Why does she ultimately choose Orlando rather than Clyde?

8. Just as Keri has to accept her daughters illness, Orlando has to accept P.J.s homosexuality. Why is this so devastating for Orlando? Does the description of the

household Keri and Orlando share at the end of the novel suggest that both Keri and Orlando are at peace with their children?

9. What is the significance of Keris skill as a masseuse in her approach to healing both herself and Trina? Why is this mode of touching so important to the bond

between the two of them?

10. The relationship between Keri and Orlando presents an example of the difficulties of self-made women who find themselves with less successful men. (Campbell has

written a nonfiction book on this topic.) Why is Keri impatient with Orlandos lack of success, and how does she come to terms with it?

11. The segment of the novel that describes the intervention, which involves a road trip and a good deal of suspense, adds an element of adventure to this story of

family tragedy. What is the effect of these chapters, and how does Campbell make them such compelling reading?

12. Karl, the intervention leader, is the child of a mother who was mentally ill. What do his and Keris family histories tell us about the kinds of damage done by

untreated mental illness? In what ways can Karl and Keri be seen as overcompensating foror still reacting totheir painful childhood experiences?

13. In a significant conversation between Keri and Trina on pp. 298299, Trina acknowledges the pain of having to give up the college life she was on the verge of, even

as she also acknowledges the danger of suicidal feelings. Does the end of the novel suggest a hopeful outcome for Trina?

14. What is the significance of the green pantsuit with the small stain, which Keri finally wears at Trinas performance (p.318)? How is it related to the novels

epigraph from a Leonard Cohen song: Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack in everything / Thats how the light gets in?

15. How does this novel open up the inside world of families dealing with severe mental illness? What did you find surprising about the story? Discuss other books on

the subject of mental illness that members of your group have read, and how 72 Hour Hold compares to them.
CRITICAL THINKING/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. The novel is narrated from Keris point of view. How does she present herself as a character in the opening chapter? What are the traits that have made her a

successful businesswoman? How does her character contrast with that of her teenage daughter?

2. Dr. Ustinov tells Keri, Your daughter is bipolar (p.25). Consider the terms in which Dr. Ustinov presents Trinas illness to Keri (p.29); his approach is purely

factual while hers is psychological and filled with guilt. Does Keri begin to lose her guilt about Trinas illness as the novel proceeds, or does she continue to feel

that in some sense, its always Mommys fault (p.30)?

3. Friendships between women are important in this novel: what kinds of support and strength do women offer each other? Discuss examples of the loyalty and love shared

between women characters in the story.

4. How does Keris history with her mothers alcoholism affect her approach to Trinas illness? In what ways is Keris refusal to forgive her mother understandable and in

what ways does she refuse to realize that her mother might also be considered to have a brain disease? How does Keri eventually make the choice to let her mother back

into her life?

5. In what ways does 72 Hour Hold help readers question the phenomenon that having a perfect child (high achieving, popular, talented, beautiful, etc.) contributes

greatly to a parents self esteem and social status? Does Keri eventually let go of these ideas, and if so, how?

6. What is the effect of Campbells frequent use of the metaphor of slaveryits images, its terrors, its punishing psychologythroughout the novel? See, for instance,

page 3 (the hounds are tracking you) and page 28 (I embarked on my own Middle Passage that night, marching backward, ankles shackled). If Keris experience with her

daughters mental illness is like the experience of slavery, does the novel yield any sense of liberation from this condition?

7. How does Keris relationship with Orlando differ from her relationship with Clyde? At a moment of extreme crisis in the story, it seems as though Keri will get back

together with Clyde. Why does she ultimately choose Orlando rather than Clyde?

8. Just as Keri has to accept her daughters illness, Orlando has to accept P.J.s homosexuality. Why is this so devastating for Orlando? Does the description of the

household Keri and Orlando share at the end of the novel suggest that both Keri and Orlando are at peace with their children?

9. What is the significance of Keris skill as a masseuse in her approach to healing both herself and Trina? Why is this mode of touching so important to the bond

between the two of them?

10. The relationship between Keri and Orlando presents an example of the difficulties of self-made women who find themselves with less successful men. (Campbell has

written a nonfiction book on this topic.) Why is Keri impatient with Orlandos lack of success, and how does she come to terms with it?

11. The segment of the novel that describes the intervention, which involves a road trip and a good deal of suspense, adds an element of adventure to this story of

family tragedy. What is the effect of these chapters, and how does Campbell make them such compelling reading?

12. Karl, the intervention leader, is the child of a mother who was mentally ill. What do his and Keris family histories tell us about the kinds of damage done by

untreated mental illness?

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