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A reader’s guide for “Tell Me Everything,” Oprah’s new book club pick
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Reader’s Guide Questions
- How does Elizabeth Strout use the character of Lucy Barton to explore the concept of empathy? What did you learn about your own capacity for radical empathy?
- How does the murder investigation affect the dynamics between the characters, particularly Bob Burgess and Lucy?
- Discuss the relationship between Lucy and her ex-husband, William. How does their past influence their current interactions? Have you ever been involved in a similarly complicated and shifting relationship, romantic or otherwise?
- How does Strout explore the theme of isolation in the novel? Which characters do you think feel the most isolated, and why? How does this theme show up in your own life?
- What role does the town lawyer, Bob Burgess, play in the unfolding events? How does his character evolve throughout the story?
- How do Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge’s meetups reveal different aspects of their personalities? If you could ask either character any question, what would you ask?
- What does the novel suggest about the nature of love and its various forms?
- How do the characters grapple with the question, “What does anyone’s life mean?” What are some examples of this?
- Discuss the idea of “unrecorded lives” as presented by Olive Kitteridge. How does this concept resonate throughout the novel? What does this concept mean for you?
- How does the author use silence and what is left unsaid to convey deeper meanings and emotions?
- How does Strout use the theme of friendship to explore the complexities of human relationships?
- In what ways do the characters seek to leave a mark on the world, and how successful are they in their endeavors? How did this novel make you think about your own legacy?
- How does the novel address the theme of healing and redemption? Which characters experience the most significant transformations?
- If you’ve read other books by Elizabeth Strout, what was it like for you to see the characters’ universes converge? Which characters were you most eager to see again? Why?
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver has defeated Republican small businessman Carmen Bucco in a contest in New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District that opened up because of the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. in April.
McIver will serve out the remainder of Payne’s term, which ends in January. She and Bucco will face a rematch on the November ballot for the full term.
McIver said in a statement Wednesday that she stands on the “shoulders of giants,” naming Payne as chief among them.
She cast ahead to the November election, saying the right to make reproductive health choices was on the ballot as well as whether the economy should benefit the wealthy or “hard working Americans.”
“I will fight because the purpose of politics and the purpose of our vote is to give the people of our communities and our nation a bold voice,” she said.
Bucco congratulated McIver on the victory in a statement but said he’s looking forward to the rematch in November.
“I am not going anywhere,” he said in an email. “We still have a second chance to make district 10 great again!”
Who are LaMonica McIver and Carmen Bucco?
McIver emerged as the Democratic candidate in a crowded field in the July special election. A member of the city council of New Jersey’s biggest city since 2018, she also worked for Montclair Public Schools as a personnel director and plans to focus on affordability, infrastructure, abortion rights and “protecting our democracy,” she told The Associated Press earlier this summer.
Bucco describes himself on his campaign website as a small-business owner influenced by his upbringing in the foster system. He lists support for law enforcement and ending corruption as top issues.
The 10th District lies in a heavily Democratic and majority-Black region of northern New Jersey. Republicans are outnumbered by more than 6 to 1.
It’s been a volatile year for Democrats in New Jersey, where the party dominates state government and the congressional delegation.
Among the developments were the conviction on federal bribery charges of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, who has denied the charges, and the demise of the so-called county party line — a system in which local political leaders give their preferred candidates favorable position on the primary ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Kim, who’s running for Menendez’s seat, and other Democrats brought a federal lawsuit challenging the practice as part of his campaign to oust Menendez, who has resigned since his conviction.