Skinny House

Skinny House: A Memoir of Family is a true story of perseverance in the face of ruin and a glimpse into the past of the inventive, remarkable people who gracefully ‘made it’ despite overwhelming societal and financial hurdles. It is a granddaughter’s story about the grandfather she never met. The author weaves the legacy of Nathan Seely—an ambitious carpenter who establishes a company in 1923 for the purpose of “building homes for colored people” taking part in The Great Migration. Nathan is well on his way to becoming a successful entrepreneur. He has everything a man could want…a beautiful wife, smart children and a custom-built house in the Village of Mamaroneck, along the picturesque Long Island Sound. Nathan’s success is short lived when the Depression of 1929 leaves him bankrupt and threatens to make his family homeless. Desperate to keep his family together, Nathan has to rebuild his life, literally, brick by brick. The skinny house he built still stands in Mamaroneck. The author poses some intriguing questions: What do we really know about the dreams and aspirations of our ancestors? How do the decisions our grandparents and parents made generations ago, influence our lives today?

Book club questions for Skinny House by Julie L. Seely

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

Seely discusses the omission of her grandfather’s legacy from the popular narratives about the Skinny House. In your opinion, who has the responsibility of preserving your family’s story? What are the consequences over time as significant historical details are left out when passing on family legacy?

What do you think would have happened to the Seely family had Nathan’s construction company survived the Great Depression? Would the family have stayed together?

Nathan and his son Tom clearly had different views on life and work. What was Nathan’s outlook? How did Tom’s perspective change as he went from an adolescent to a young man, and finally a husband?

Seely describes what she feels are generational gifts that her grandfather and her father passed on. What were they? What generational gifts do you think you will pass on to your children and their children?

Aunt Sug and Tom are siblings. What do you make of their contrasting personalities? How do their strengths and weaknesses compare?

As a “modern” woman of the 1920s, what was Lillian’s place in the world? Were her aspirations the same as white women of the day? What were her limitations, her aspirations, and her fears as an African American mother?

Do you think that shame can be passed from one generation to another? Why or why not?

What did you make of the phoenix metaphor? Do you think it fits the story of the Skinny House?

Why do you think parents and grandparents are reluctant to discuss the past?

Skinny House Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Skinny House discussion questions