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The Wind Knows My Name
Vienna, 1938. Samuel Adler is five years old when his father disappears during Kristallnacht--the night his family loses everything. As her child's safety becomes ever harder to guarantee, Samuel's mother secures a spot for him on a Kindertransport train out of Nazi-occupied Austria to England. He boards alone, carrying nothing but a change of clothes and his violin.
Arizona, 2019. Eight decades later, Anita Díaz and her mother board another train, fleeing looming danger in El Salvador and seeking refuge in the United States. But their arrival coincides with the new family separation policy, and seven-year-old Anita finds herself alone at a camp in Nogales. She escapes her tenuous reality through her trips to Azabahar, a magical world of the imagination. Meanwhile, Selena Durán, a young social worker, enlists the help of a successful lawyer in hopes of tracking down Anita's mother.
Intertwining past and present, The Wind Knows My Name tells the tale of these two unforgettable characters, both in search of family and home. It is both a testament to the sacrifices that parents make and a love letter to the children who survive the most unfathomable dangers--and never stop dreaming.
These book club questions are from the publisher. A full book club kit can be found here.
Book club questions for The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende
Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.
What do you consider the major themes of The Wind Knows My Name?
The story. The characters. The settings. The writing style. What are your favorite parts of Isabel Allende’s novel and why?
Readers experience the Night of Broken Glass as it happens to the Adler family. Was there anything that surprised you about this act of terror that you hadn’t known? Please discuss.
Music saves Samuel. Why do you think music transcends tragedy and comfort souls?
Why do you think Leticia believed in the power of St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, and in St Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, despite abandoning the evangelical church?
There are two immigrant stories in the novel. How are they similar, and how are they unique?
How much did you know about the El Mozote massacre before reading this book? Why do you think this tragedy isn’t widely known in America?*
After Samuel moved to California, his wife Nadine opened up their “enchanted mansion” to bohemians, frustrated artists, and simple wanderers, causing a rift in the marriage. Which side did you fall on and why?
What was your initial impression of hotshot lawyer Frank Angileri?
On page 89, Selena says “This isn’t about left, right, or any other direction. It’s about finding practical solutions to real problems.” What do you think about her statement?
Did you have strong feelings about the U.S. border policies before reading this novel? Did anything about those feelings change after reading it?
Reflect on Samuel and Nadine’s 55-year marriage. Why do you think it lasted, despite the divorces and infidelities?
A common thread running through the various characters is trauma. Samuel. Leticia. Anita. How do you think each handled their tragic experiences? How did they persevere?
How did you feel at the end of The Wind Knows My Name? What did you take away from reading this novel?
The Wind Knows My Name Book Club Questions PDF
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