Chapters 1-3
In Chapter 1, What was the reason for establishing the town, Ruby?
Rapid population decline in the previous town, Haven.
What is Patricia preparing for in Chapter 6 (Patricia)?
The Christmas performance.
Who was the first person to die in Ruby since its founding?
Save-Marie.
What idealistic place are the citizens trying to emulate in the town of Ruby?
Garden of Eden/Utopia.
In Chapter 2, Mavis, what leads Mavis to run from her family and eventually find the convent?
She believes that her son and kids are planning her death because of the violence they inflict in her household.
In Chapter 5, Divine, what comments does Reverend Pulliam make about love and why does this upset Reverend Misner?
Pulliam states that one can only “earn love by practice and contemplation,” and that you must follow God’s guidelines for love. This somewhat harsh and shameful sermon upsets Misner and the crowd.
What is the danger Lone tries to warn the convent women townspeople about in Chapter 8 (Lone)?
The men are planning a violent attack against the women in the convent because they view them as menacing and evil.
What name do the townspeople of Ruby call the founding families and how many are there?
They call them the Old Fathers and there are 15.
In Chapter 3, Grace, why does Gigi’s arrival cause problems between Arnnete and K.D?
Gigi’s provocative fashion choices interest K.D., who is rumored to be the father of Arnette’s child.
In Chapter 4, Seneca, what is the larger issue the conflict surrounding the Oven represents?
Intergenerational differences about how to deal with the civil rights movement and politics. The younger generation believes that the old way of “dealing with” white people is weak and advocates for confronting them, but the older generation does not want to change their ways, similar to how they don’t want to rename the Oven to an African name.
What are two reasons the men who committed the massacre got away with it noted in Chapter 9 (Marie)?
1) They were prominent members of society.
2) All evidence of the raid has vanished.