BOOK CLUB READING GUIDE FOR THE DEATH OF A JAYBIRD
Download PDF of the Reading Guide here.
Questions for Discussion
In “What If: On Black Lives and Mental Health,” discuss the kinds of experiences Jodi and Granny have with the police after Granny begins experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease? What kind of encounters do other Black people experiencing psychotic episodes have with the police? How do these encounters differ from Jodi and Granny’s?
What do Jodi and Granny’s experiences reveal about how police can improve their interactions with individuals who have a mental illness or diminished mental capacity?
Discuss Jodi’s complicated relationship with her Pentecostal upbringing and her evolving faith. How might other Black women and sexual abuse survivors relate to her experiences and perspectives?
What role does Granny’s Pentecostal faith play in how Jodi grieves after Granny passes away?
In “How to Attend a Black Funeral,” Jodi writes, “Black folks love pomp and circumstance.” Discuss some of the ways Black people honor and celebrate their loved ones at a Black funeral or homegoing.
How does Jodi and Cheryl’s relationship change after Granny’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis, as Granny is dying, after Granny passes away, and after Jodi’s breast cancer diagnosis? How does Cheryl’s drug addiction impact the relationship between her and Jodi?
What do Jodi, Cheryl, and Granny’s relationships teach us about establishing boundaries in familial relationships and second chances?
What does the phrase “die the death of a jaybird” mean? What are its origins?
Discuss the significance of jaybirds in Southern Black folklore and birds in the Yoruba religion?
In “A Laying on of Hands,” discuss the significance of hands in healing, prayer, health care, and expressing love and affection.
How does Granny honor deceased friends and family members in her writing? Discuss ways of using writing as a way to mourn.
What are some examples of how Jodi grieves the loss of Granny and Cheryl before they pass away? How did she process and cope with their illnesses and imminent deaths?
How does Cheryl cope with, and prepare for, her imminent death?
How is Jodi’s grief and anxiety about her breast cancer diagnosis and Cheryl’s imminent death represented in her dreams?
What documents from Jodi’s family archives does she write about? What do these family documents reveal about her family? How do these revelations impact her and her relationships with the women in her family?
Granny, Cheryl, and Jodi were all raised by someone other than their mothers. How does this legacy of maternal abandonment and child loss impact: 1) the three women individually; 2) their relationships with their mothers; 3) their relationships with each other; and 4) their relationships with Aunt Jennye and Aunt Lil?
Jodi, Cheryl and Granny were all sexually abused as children. How does this trauma impact their relationships with each other, their mothers, and other family members? What do their experiences tell us about how sexual abuse is oftentimes addressed in families?
Jodi writes that she does not want to be a mother. What factors and life experiences do you think influenced her decision to remain childfree? What are some societal pressures for women to have children and how does Jodi counter them?
In “I’m Not a Slut in the Street,” Jodi writes: “A Black woman’s primary objective when obtaining medical care is to avoid being treated like a slut in the street.” What does she mean by this? What are some challenges and health disparities often experienced by Black patients, particularly Black women, when seeking medical care? What challenges do Jodi and Granny encounter when seeking medical treatment and what role do stereotypes related to race, gender, age, socioeconomic status, religious faith, and other factors play in those medical interactions?
What are some things Black people often do to avoid being treated like “a slut in the street” when seeking medical care?
Discuss some perceptions about mental illness that exist within the Black community. Do Jodi and Granny share these beliefs? How do their experiences with, and beliefs about, mental illness change over time and why?
In “The Things She Left Behind,” how does Jodi’s anticipatory grief and grief after Granny’s death contribute to her hoarding? What is the connection between grief, memory, and hoarding?
In “Some Useful Advice for Going to Meet Your Dead Loved One and Other Tragedies,” Jodi writes, “I have never been more aware of my singleness than when Granny was dying.” What experiences made her more aware of her singleness?
In “Some Useful Advice for Going to Meet Your Dead Loved One and Other Tragedies,” Jodi quotes an excerpt from June Jordan’s essay “Ruth and Naomi, David and Jonathan”: “This is the love of women. This is the mighty love that is saving my life.” Like Jordan, Jodi experiences the mighty love of women during her breast cancer journey. How does Jodi’s view of feminism, the Strong Black Woman trope, the need for community, and the importance of female friendships evolve? What influenced her understanding of these concepts and her evolution?
How does Jodi demonstrate radical acceptance of the women in her family? How can practicing radical acceptance benefit us and those we love?
Download PDF of the Reading Guide here.
