'You know how a mother would do anything, if it meant saving her child,'Sarah tells Ellie.What kind of a man is Aaron Fisher? As you were reading, what were your reactions to his choices? If you had to, could you make a case for defending his code of life, his propensity to put the community above the individual?.Why do we care so much about Katie Fisher? How does her specific situation come to touch upon universal issues like community estrangement and forbidden love?.What do you think Ellie will do with the information she learns from Sarah at the end of the book?.

In your opinion, what occurs after the last page is turned- to the Fishers, to Katie, to Ellie?.

What do you think would have happened if the baby had lived?.

Why would an Amish person accept a punishment without having committed a crime?.

Is the verdict a fair one, in your opinion?.

What about the Amish culture is similar to “English” culture? What is the most different?.

Which Amish character in this book forgives the most? Who is the most unyielding?

Forgiveness is a basic tenet in the Amish faith.

What examples support this? In what places in the book does this not happen, and how does it affect the society?

The Amish base much on the concept of Gelassenheit, or humility, and putting others before yourself.

Was Aaron Fisher justified in cutting Jacob out of the family?.

Do the actions of the men in this book aid or detract from the growth of the female characters? Explain.

Jacob Fisher and Leda are two characters who bridge diverse worlds in this novel.

What role does Hannah's ghost play in forming Katie's actions? Sarah's?.To what extent is Katie responsible for what happens to the infant?.Does the American legal system have the right to govern a group that lives separate from American society?.In what ways does immersing herself in Amish culture alter Ellie's perception of the case? Of Katie?.

What character has the most to learn during the course of this novel? Why?.

The plain truth book