Questions for Further Thought

1. Robert Conley and Rilla Askew both wrote novels based on the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Why do you think these authors were attracted to the same time in our history?

2. Askew now lives in New York, but most of her fiction takes place in Oklahoma. Why do you think she still writes about Oklahoma?

3. Askew has also studied acting. How would that training help her as a novelist?

4. Askew has written another historical novel, A Fire in Beulah, based on the Greenwood Race Riots in Tulsa. What do you think we can learn from past tragedies?

5. Where in the Bible can we find the term mercy seat, and what does it mean?

6. What did you learn about Askew from this interview.

7. If you could ask Askew one more question, what would it be?

Try This:
Early in the season we studied Clifton Taulbert's Eight Habits of the Heart -- "A Nurturing Attitude," "Dependability," "Responsibility," "Friendship," "Brotherhood," "High Expectations," "Courage," and "Hope." Which of these habits did Oklahomans demonstrate in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing?