Riots I Have Known

Called “one of the smartest—and best—novels of the year” by NPR, this acclaimed debut is set in an upstate New York prison where a largescale riot grows to epic proportions. Its unwitting catalyst: an unnamed Sri Lankan inmate who edits The Holding Pen, the in-house literary journal. He’s barricaded himself inside the gleaming new computer lab, and with his remaining hours on earth will share with us his side of the story, an official accounting of events, as they happened--from his youth in the black markets of Sri Lanka, to his years as a Park Avenue doorman, and, more recently, his dubious rise to literary fame. Riots I Have Known is one man’s feverish and darkly funny confession, and Editor’s Letter to end all Editor’s Letters.

This discussion guide was posted in partnership with the book's author, Ryan Chapman.

Book club questions for Riots I Have Known by Ryan Chapman

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

The narrator gets nostalgic talking about McNairy, Betsy Pankhurst, the Hilton Hotels advance man, and others. Did you have a favorite character? Someone you'd like to see narrated their own version of events?

The narrator says it's his last day on earth, but then has enormous difficulty in telling his story in a straightforward manner. Why do you think that is?

Let's say you only have an hour to tell your life story. What would you say? Now let's say at the end of that hour you're given another sixty minutes. What would you add?

The book uses humor to discuss serious subjects, which can offend some readers. What do you think? Are some topics "off limits" for satire?

The narrator's crime is only hinted at. What do you think happened?

The book ends with an ambiguous note: "I'm an optimist." What do you think happens to the narrator after that line?

The narrator has high self-regard and quite a few blind spots. Does he remind you of anyone in your life?

The book is short and written in nearly real-time. Did this affect your reading of it at all? Do you wish it had been longer? Shorter?

The narrator notes he's the first Sri Lankan prisoner at Westbrook. Have you encountered Sri Lankan characters or novelists before? What is your impression of the country, and race in general in the novel?

The narrator uses his time to settle scores and correct perceived sleights. If you had a soapbox, are there any wrongs you would try to correct "for the historical record"?

Riots I Have Known Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Riots I Have Known discussion questions

These questions were generously written and shared by Ryan Chapman, author of Riots I Have Known.