Never to Forget

Spurned at age five by her mother’s admonition that girls can’t be soldiers, Bertelina sets out in an adventurous struggle for personal fulfillment to eventually become embroiled in the 1948 Costa Rican revolutionary quest for social justice, and ultimately with women’s struggle for self-determination. With the inner strength of a soldier, she grapples to balance the traditional feminine role with her eventual urgency to protect her children after a divorce from an abusive husband. In overcoming social and religious roadblocks, she immigrates to the United States.

After finally fulfilling her aspirations, everything about herself is threatened to be decimated by the devastation of Alzheimer’s dementia.

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored by Dartfrog Books

Book club questions for Never to Forget by Carlos Alvarado

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The story begins with 5 y/o Bertelina mesmerized, as much as intimidated, by the portrait of her dead military grandfather, yet she is inspired by his image of authority and courage. As she ran out of the room, her mother shouted a warning about women’s role. How did this episode shape Bertelina’s makeup for dealing with future events?

Bertelina is set as an outcast, often the center of attention, and later of abuse, by men attracted to her beauty. Furthermore, it is also a source of jealousy for her sisters. Did Bertelina take advantage of these attributes?

Her mother revealed the secret that she had loved another man, but her parents arranged her marriage to a man she eventually scorned. How did this revelation influence Bertelina in her affair with Oscar?

Often we articulate appreciation for cultural diversity, but yet ignore it when these contradict perceived norms. Machita is a Costa Rican term lovingly applied to blondes or lighter skin people, not a rare occurrence in Costa Rica. Furthermore, much of the history of the country is a reflection of our own story in the USA: democracy, capitalism, social hierarchy, education. Did the cultural narrative in the first chapters of the novel challenge your perception of Hispanic cultures, in particular, that of Costa Rica?

After World War II, there was an acceleration of political movements pushing for social justice throughout Latin America. Pepe Figueres in Costa Rica, like Castro in Cuba, considered violent revolution the only alternative to reversing the ingrained inequities of their governments. But only Costa Rica’s revolution of 1948 eventually evolved into a strong and just democracy. After his election to the presidency, Pepe Figueres, along with Padre Nunez, became world renowned for their efforts to establish world peace. What role did these two men play in Bertelina’s successes?

Bertelina’s femininity is obvious throughout the book, but it was a character she considered her strength. Denied many opportunities because she was a woman, she would pivot to opportunities available because of it while maintaining the same goal. In her marriage, she sought a partnership based on love. What pivot did she make when the marriage failed?

Dementia is difficult for families because of the gradual mental deterioration of the affected loved one. Family caregivers suffer for many reasons, but especially painful is the scorn of a paranoid demented family member. What was the difficulty Bertha’s daughter shouldered while caring for her mother the last year of the illness?

Never to Forget Book Club Questions PDF

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