Many book clubs have asked for a book club edition of this book, and while a new edition isn't in the works right now, here is a list of questions you can use.
1.Each member of the Babcock family faces their own personal challenges through the course of Ashley’s illness. What are they, and how do they overcome them? Who changes the most, and in what way?2. Logan tells his mom the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. In what ways are Logan and Babs alike? How do these similarities affect their relationship? How does their relationship change over the course of the book?
3. At first, Babs finds the ladies at First Baptist meddling and gossipy. In what specific ways do they eventually show their love and support for the family? How does this change Babs’ belief in God?
4. When Babs asks Travis how he can have such faith in God, Travis answers: “I think you mistake me trusting God to answer, for liking what he has to say.” Have you ever prayed for something and felt like God didn’t answer, or you didn’t receive the answer you wanted? Did that shake your faith?
5. When the idea of using stem cells to cure Ashley is introduced, Travis assumes embryos will be the source of those stem cells. Having previously protested the use of embryos for science as morally wrong, he asks Babs, “How far will you go?” Would you compromise your own moral or ethical standards if it meant keeping someone you loved alive? How does Babs later justify Dr. Van Der Campen’s previous research with embryos? Do you agree with Babs?
6. Babs views herself as unintelligent. In what ways do her actions contradict this? Is this a common perception among women who consider themselves “just moms”?
7. Some of the characters in this book feel they have to take sides in what they’ll believe in: science or God. How does Babs, and eventually Travis, reconcile this? What is your own opinion about how well science and God mix?
8. Despite being the polar opposite of Babs, in what ways is Donna Jean exactly the kind of friend Babs needs?
9. Why do you think the author chose to tell this story through the eyes of Babs? How would it have been a different story had it been told through the eyes of another family member or by a third-person narrator?
10. Which member of the Babcock family do you identify with best and why?
