Book Club Discussion Questions

 

1--The pandemic was not that long ago. In her memoir, Jaeger takes you deep into New York City and writes about the day-to-day ways in which COVID upturned everyone’s world. How does Jaeger’s depiction of life during COVID-19 resonate with your memories?

 

2--Sometimes we think of politics as something distant and removed from our own lives. Jaeger writes about the Federal Government and how their response to COVID affected her family. Can you recount a time when you felt the ways in which government policies affected your family?

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3--What was it like reading an historic account of an event that you lived through? How did your own memories influence your reading?

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4--How does the book portray the emotional impact of loss during the pandemic, and what makes this type of grief different from more typical experiences of loss?

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5--How does the title Stolen reflect the experiences described in the book? What, specifically, is being “stolen”?

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6--What role does memory play in how Jaeger processes grief and preserves the identity of her father?

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7--How does the book address the idea of unresolved or interrupted goodbyes? Why is this significant?

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8--How does Jaeger balance personal storytelling with broader commentary on the global crisis?

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