The Weight of Blood

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson ramps up the horror and tackles America’s history and legacy of racism in this suspenseful YA novel following a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.

When Springville residents—at least the ones still alive—are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it.

An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington.

After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High's racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school's first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it's possible to have a normal life.

But some of her classmates aren't done with her just yet. And what they don't know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.

These book club questions are from the publisher, Harper Collins.

Book club questions for The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D Jackson

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

“When asked if she was Black, she straight up denied it because she knew damn well how Black people were treated and wanted no part of that. And she had the privilege to do so while the rest of us don’t” (p. 223). What privilege is Kali talking about? How does Maddy’s proximity to whiteness, and denial of her Blackness, make it difficult for other Black students to be in solidarity with her?

How do the lasting effects of racism continue to exist within the structures, systems, and beliefs of the town? Consider how the town is designed, where people live, and some of the town’s most important institutions (school, power plant, police, sports). How does this connect to what Tanya says about “societal racism” on p. 402?

Where does Jules get the inspiration for what she does to Maddy at the all-together prom? Where does the phrase “Maddy did it” come from? How do our families and friends’ beliefs influence our understanding of the world?

“You wanna help Black people? How about you start by actually helping them instead of just helping yourself” (p. 118)? What does Kali mean when she says this to Wendy at a Black Student Union protest? How does Wendy think about her relationships? To Kenny? To Jules? To wealth and race? What do you think is most important to Wendy? Why does Wendy propose the idea of an integrated prom? Is it to help Black people or help herself?

What does it mean to advocate for someone? Where can you find examples of Maddy, Kenny, Kali, or other Black people advocating for themselves and each other in this book? What are the different strategies they use?

Why do you think Kenny’s dad doesn’t want him to get mixed up in school politics? Kali and Kenny are siblings but have very different ways of navigating their Blackness. How do their strategies differ? Does Kenny’s non-involvement and sports celebrity status protect him from experiencing race-based micro and macro aggressions? How does Kali help her brother embrace his full self?

The Weight of Blood Book Club Questions PDF

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