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The Four Winds
Book Summary
Drawn to stories that show “hope, resilience and the strength of the human spirit to survive adversity,” and women assuming awesome responsibilities in times of trouble, Kristin Hannah published her first bestseller in 2009 and has ridden high on a sea of accolades ever since. She creates straightforward, vigorous narratives to read and be moved by. The Four Winds is no exception.
With Hannah drawing on extensive research into the Great Depression, the histories of Texas and California, and the daring and risky means by which workers fought for their rights in the United States, The Four Winds is a book club book Bookclubs users love. Read The Four Winds and see why.
Our book club discussion questions for The Four Winds below will help your book club, whether online or in-person, delight the most in this satisfying book.
Book club questions for The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
1. Did you expect Rafe to reappear? It’s realistic that he wouldn’t, but do you think the story of The Four Winds would improve if he were added back into it?
Did The Four Winds make you notice workers differently in your own life? Think differently now about where your fruit and vegetables come from, for instance?
In her author’s note, Kristin Hannah recounts finishing The Four Winds after years of work during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic: “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that the Great Depression would become so relevant in our modern lives, that I would see so many people out of work, in need, frightened for the future. As we know, there are lessons to be learned from history. Hope to be derived from hardships faced by others.”
Is The Four Winds inspiring to you? Do you see parallels in your life, your community, your situation, to what Elsa and her family go through? What is its “lesson,” in Hannah’s words, if it has one?
Did The Four Winds strike you as actually being set in the past? Did it have what we might call “period flavor”?
Is Elsa’s life happy or sad in The Four Winds?
Did Elsa have a choice whether or not to join the Communists in The Four Winds? Should she have joined earlier?
The Four Winds Book Club Questions PDF
Click here for a printable PDF of the The Four Winds discussion questions