Geography & History
What type of landform is Negro Mountain?
A mountain ridge
What activity shapes the book: travel, staying home, or farming?
Travel
What genre is Negro Mountain closest to: poem, essay, or travel journal?
All 3 mixed together.
What does Giscombe do to learn about the history of Negro Mountain?
He researches, reads old records, and visits the place himself.
Does he write like a teacher or like a traveler?
Like a traveler sharing what he sees
What states is the mountain surrounded by?
Pennsylvania and Maryland
When Giscombe travels, what is he really searching for?
A sense of self and peace
What style does he write in: fast and loud or slow and observant?
Slow and observant
How does he “remember” history when there are no official records?
By listening to stories and rumors.
How does his voice sound when he describes travel?
Calm and curious
The mountain’s name comes from what kind of story: legend, law, or poem?
A legend about a Black man’s death
What does “mapping” mean for Giscombe besides drawing maps?
Finding connections between race, memory, and land.
What kind of details does he use to make a place feel real?
Roads, signs, town names, directions
What story is the mountain’s name based on?
A legend about a Black man who died there in a fight, and the mountain was named after him.
If his voice were a sound, what might it be: a trumpet solo, a car engine, or a whisper?
A whisper because it invites you to lean in and listen closely to the story underneath the landscape.
What does Giscombe do when he visits or reads about the mountain?
He reflects on what its name means and how it connects to race and place.
When he travels north or south, what changes?
The people, the language, and how race is seen
Why does Giscombe include real places and signs?
To make the story feel real and grounded
Why does Giscombe talk to locals and look up newspaper articles?
To see how different people tell the same history in different ways.
Why does he use humor sometimes?
To make hard topics easier to approach
What bigger idea about America does Giscombe explore through the mountain?
That places carry hidden stories about Black history and belonging.
Does the book end with a final destination?
No, the journey and thinking are what matter
Why does he mix poetry, essay, and travel writing?
To show that identity and geography can’t fit into one box
What might “renaming” a place symbolize?
Reclaiming history and voice
What does his calm voice make readers do?
Slow down and really notice what’s around them