Associated press andy barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. Freedom by jonathan franzen reading questions oprahs book club. Defending jacob tv tiein edition by william landay reading. It tells the story of a father dealing with the accusation that his 14yearold son is a murderer. What kind of a man do you think he would grow up to be. I just finished this book, and my thoughts while reading it were, at first, jacob seems more and more guilty. Do you need him to settle a debate from your book club discussions. Andy, an assistant district attorney, is convinced his son is innocent. Feb, 2012 and in a book called defending jacob, rest assured that it does. As jacobs trial nears, landay draws an agonizing portrait of a family in distress. The main character, 14yearold jacob barber, is a smart young kid who was frequently bullied by ben rifkin. Defending jacob is an american crime drama novel written by novelist william landay.
And jacobs murder trial, which is the main set piece of the book, is described in as much authentic detail as good storytelling allows. Defending jacob, by william landay the new york times. The interview gives some information and insight into the authors writing, and there is also a list of questions for a study guide. Our discussions of the naturenurture question have always tilted in the. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. But by the time i began to imagine defending jacob, i was thinking of crime in a different way and thinking of crime novels in a different. Feb 23, 20 defending jacob is very much in the suspense genre.
A few things that dont make sense to me with regard to the rifkin murder 1 jacob had no blood on him except for his thumb and he was seen by many classmates right after the murder occurred, yet no one suspected anything amiss. Not only is the storyline compelling in this novel, but the way that it is written is also quite clever. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, laurie, and. The first two things are easy to accomplish just read anything by.
Why not consider setting aside 30 minutes for social conversation, and then 60 or 90 minutes for book discussion. I would no sooner have shown up on tuesday am to face this band of retired teachers and librarians without having read the book, than i would have smoked pot before taking the sats. Mar 05, 20 assistant district attorney andy barber is happy with his wife and 14yearold son, jacob. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Tragic and shocking, defending jacob is sure to generate buzz. Defending jacob william landay, 2012 random house 616 pp. Jan 14, 2014 what would you do if your child had committed a crime as serious as murder. Andy has to believe jacob his innocent, as much as for jacob as for himself.
If jacob hadnt been accused, how do you think his life would have turned out. In the case of defending jacob, i sullenly read on, primarily because it was this months selection for my book club at the adult center view spoiler. Defending jacob is a best book club book for discussion, a novel about a shocking crime and an accused son that asks how far a parent will go to protect their child. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy.
Subscribe to the oprahs book club newsletter sign up for the oprahs book club newsletter get more stories like this delivered to your inbox get updates on your favorite shows, the latest from oprahs world and more. The book we were discussing was defending jacob by william landay. Oct 22, 2015 finished reading defending jacob by william landay and interested in reading something similar. Happy at home with the loves of his life, his wife, laurie, a. The book was published in january 2012 by random house. Getting book club discussions started are often the hardest part of the book club meeting. Defending jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life lee child riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing linwood barclay william landay is being talked about as a new scott turow or john grisham, having been one of bostons district attorneys. Andy barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. The perfect book club is made up of three key things. These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book. But i like to think that defending jacob is the sort of book that can jump the tracks, so to. Praise for defending jacob a novel like this comes along maybe once a decade.
With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, its every bit as good as scott turows great presumed innocent. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions. This is the place for all general book discussions. Defending jacob ebook by william landay rakuten kobo. Lisa gardner disturbing, complex, and gripping, defending jacob is impossible to put down. Sounds like life of pi, but in this tall tale form the seas, parts of the story are retold in his adult. Defending jacob book club discussion questions i hate my back. The friday morning bookclubs favorite book for 2012. Find groups in chandler, arizona about book club and meet people in your local community who share your interests. Why not try out one of these readalikes see more ideas about reading, books to read, books.
What happened to andy and lauries relationship once jacob was accused of murder. Recommending new books each month to spark lively conversation. Reading guide for defending jacob by william landay. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, laurie, and son, jacob. Our book club page for defending jacob by william landay includes book club discussion questions, author website, book summary. Reading guide for defending jacob by william landay bookbrowse. This is the premise of william landays book defending jacob 2012. Defending jacob may be a great pick for heated book club discussion, but that doesnt make it a great book. Feb 16, 2015 an 11yearold boy named michael boards a ship crossing the indian ocean and the suez canal. Defending jacob book club discussion questions for july 9, 20. Like yulyia i was reminded of we need to talk about kevin by lionel shriver, though the narrator here was.
Reading guide for defending jacob by william landay discussion guide for book clubs. Defending jacob book club discussion questions for july 9. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of dell. Awardwinning author william landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis a suspenseful, characterdriven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control. Macdonald public library book club 1 defending jacob explores the emerging science of behavioral genetics and neurocriminology the notion that, as a predictor of criminal behavior, nature may indeed be as significant as nurture. First there is the paternal love of a father for his son.
While landay maintains that, as a storyteller, it is not his place to tell. Defending jacob was jacob guilty what would you do if it was. Jan 07, 20 defending jacob was the perfect book club book and a must read. Defending jacob is a gripping legal thriller that unabashedly delves into the inner workings of both the legal system and the human spirit. Laurie, a cheerful, loving but fragile woman, begins to crack under the pressure. Second place goes to state of wonder by ann patchett and the story of beautiful girl by rachel simon. Bkmt reading guides get the top 100 book recommendations.
The story is split across two timelines the events leading up to and including jacob s trial, and a court case held the following year, through which the reader learns more about what happened during the trial, as well as its aftermath. But the book shows the influence of my years as a prosecutor in less obvious ways, too, i think. As far as book club books go, defending jacob is the grand poobah of book choices, giving you as many controversial topics to discuss as any jodi picoult novel. In an interview with the author at the back of the book, he says he wanted this story to be one of those what if situations, and he met that goal with defending jacob. Defending jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspensefulcapturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life. If you want to discuss a particular genre, please use the library shelves below. Following bens murder, jacob is suddenly charged with first degree murder of his fellow classmate. But when a crime shatters their new england town, andy is shocked to learn that jacob is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Along the way to the courtroom, andy is forced to cough up an unfortunate fact. Our group overall found the book to be quite disturbing, but we did have a very interesting discussion from it. Reviews, discussion questions and storyrelevant links are listed. God, i wish i had that time back in my life 0 eh, it wasnt the worst book ive ever read 1 shrug, i mean, it was okay 2 i enjoyed it 3 have your read this book.
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