This Other Eden

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What do you believe is the state’s role in fostering communities? Do you think they have a duty to eliminate or tamp down elements that they see as “degenerative”? Think of other ways this term has been used in a public context to deepen your discussion.

2. How much do you know about your family history? Do you feel it is important to know about the actions of your ancestors? How does (or would) this knowledge affect your actions today?

3. Are you aware of any locations, collectives, or communities that existed when you were younger but no longer exist now? Tell the story of that community as best you can remember it. What does this act of storytelling do for that community?

4. Harding occasionally refers to fictional newspaper articles to demonstrate how the mainland is learning about the events on Apple Island. What role does popular media play in shaping your opinion on social topics? What other means exist for you to understand current events in your community?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How do the social conditions that brought about the creation of the Apple Island community speak to the African American diasporic experience? How do these conditions resonate with the issues that African Americans and other diasporic communities face today?

2. Discuss the ways the government willfully marginalizes the economically and socially disadvantaged characters of the novel. Do similar dynamics exist within contemporary societies? If so, discuss the relevance of this historical novel to modern readers.

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Discuss the character arc of Matthew Diamond, who comes to the island with ostensibly good intentions. Would it have been better for him never to have come to Apple Island? How does the novel frame his motivations as opposed to the consequences of his actions? 

2. How does Harding use the setting of the Hale estate to expound on the injustice being committed on Apple Island? What does this imply about the ways life will go on for its residents after their eviction?

3. The title of the novel alludes to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. How does the use of allusion deepen or add texture to Harding’s depiction of the historical Malaga Island? Are there other allusions within the text that support your answer?

4. Discuss the symbolism of Zachary’s closing actions in the novel. What does Patience’s flag represent? How does Harding use Thorpe’s perspective to add meaning to Zachary’s actions?