You can take five things in the canoe with you before you escape. What will you take?
In Precious Ugly, Clementine is thirteen years old and living in a van with her father, a preacher and cult leader, on a campsite in Harpers Ferry. She must decide if the miracle he promises will save her or destroy her.
It was an image that stuck with the girl, the woman standing in the middle of the road and staring at the driver and daring him to do something. And as the girl grew older she held to this image, held it close, wanting desperately to do the same, to stand in the road and stare him down, stare him down, but she was just a girl, his girl. She would always be his girl and what was in a stare anyway?
It is 1985. The country clings to faith under the threat of nuclear war, economic recession, and an AIDS crisis about which no one wants to speak. Clementine must rely on herself and strangers to survive the addictions and sins of her family and discover for herself what it means to be safe. What it means to be seen.
Book Club Activity
What five things should Clementine take with her in the canoe? Explain your choices, including how she might acquire them on the campsite.
The activity comes from the Precious Ugly Book Club Kit, along with discussion questions, historical context, music, recipes and further reading.
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Spoiler notice: The kit discusses Precious Ugly in its entirety, including the ending.
Reading Precious Ugly with your book club? Invite Rae Cline to join the conversation.