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Discussion Guide
Inside the Gold-Plated Pistol
t's 1928. A dreamer, an addict, and a smuggler converge in the Arizona
wilderness when a Hollywood film crew shoots a Zane Grey western.
One wants to escape her mother and become a movie star.
Two covet what's hiding in the gold-plated pistol.
Three fight for their lives when disaster strikes in a red rock canyon.
Motivated by desperation and fueled by drive, their lives transform
when they discover what's inside the gold-plated pistol.
Book club questions for Inside the Gold-Plated Pistol by Cynthia Bruchman
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
Sally Vandenberg feels chained to her mother and wishes to be free to pursue her dreams as a
dancer and actress. How does Sally’s resolve help her achieve her goals? How is she emblematic
of the 1920s when women pushed boundaries? Does she grow as a character or stay static?
Kay’s struggle for identity includes being “white,” “Hopi,” and a “female pilot.” Discuss how she
embraces gender and ethnicity. How is she exclusively not one but a combination of all three?
George Hero is a seemingly shallow character. Discuss the roots of his tragedy as a WWI
veteran. How does he become a hero for Kay?
George’s duality of self between the dream world and the real world leads to a binary existence.
How is his imaginative, dreamy state more real than when he is awake?
German Expressionism, the Western, and the Hollywood Musical were products of the 1920s.
Technology plays a huge role in the 1920s. How is it represented in the novel?
Inside the Gold-Plated Pistol Book Club Questions PDF
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