The Third Rainbow Girl

THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL in many ways is a hybrid of the true-crime and memoir genres. Do you think the inclusion of the author’s own experiences help further explain the story of Nancy, Vicki, and the community of Pocahontas County? Why?

On page 302 Trey says, “I think that sharing truth is important, and everything is relevant.” What does this mean in the larger context of the book?

(page 301) Eisenberg says that she believes the evidence points to Franklin killing Vicki and Nancy “better than it supports the conclusion that Beard did.” Do you agree?

Eisenberg travels to and lives in a community that is very isolated and different from what she knows. (page 300) “The questions Appalachian young people must ask themselves, he said, are these: ‘Are you willing to put your heart and your soul into changing a place that you love? Are you strong enough to withstand the barricades that you will come up against?’” What are the things about a place that you love that need changing? What would that take?

In the book, Eisenberg shows how one act of violence has loomed over everyone affected for generations, shaping their fates and the stories they tell about themselves. What does this say about intergenerational trauma, the legacy of violence, and how that can shift / change / create or tear apart a community?