Tea and Tales with Cate and Allison discussion
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How to Build a Girl
How To Build A Girl - July 2015
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I enjoyed this book but it was not as funny as I had thought it would be. What surprised me most about the book was Johanna's family. Upon first meeting her father, I made the assumption that I wasn't going to like her family. However, her family was my favourite part of the book. They were an oddly dysfunctional but tightly knit group and I don't think Johanna would have survived her "dolly wilde" phase without her family. Also, as I was describing the story to my husband, I realized how the raunchy humour candy-coated (not sure that is the right term but can't think of another way to describe it) what was actually happening to Johanna. As I described it, it struck me as fairly sad that a young woman felt the need to re-invent herself to such an extent. But I guess that's the "tragic" flip side of comedy.
Here are some more in-depth questions to get our discussion going:
-Music is featured throughout How to Build a Girl, from Johanna/Dolly's father and family to the concerts she attends and the music reviews. What role does music play in the narrative? How does it connect to Johanna's journey to recreate her identity and find herself? What is the significance of Johanna only reviewing bands she hates?
-What role does Johanna's family, particularly her father, play in the book? How do they limit or help create her identity and sense of self?
-How does Johanna use humor to frame and understand her experiences? Does it help her deal with painful or difficult situations? Do you think humor is more of a defense mechanism or a weapon for her?
-Are Johanna's frequent book and movie references similar to or different from her relationship with music? Do these shape and affect her in the same way as music?
-What is the significance of Johanna literally renaming herself when forming her new identity? Does the name "Dolly Wilde" have any particular meaning? If so, what?
-There is a lot of about womanhood, feminism, and the struggle to create a female identity in How to Build a Girl. What does the book illuminate about these subjects through Johanna's experiences? How do Johanna's struggles and changes affect your views of these subjects? Ultimately, do you think How to Build a Girl is a feminist novel? If so, is it successful?
-What obstacles does Johanna encounter when trying to enter a male-dominated field? How does she handle these, and is she successful? Do you think a male journalist would have gotten in trouble for the John Kite article she wrote?
-How does Johanna's particular style shape and drive her identity? What is the significance of clothing in terms of marking and categorizing ourselves in society?
-On page 319, when talking about creating her identity and embracing herself, Johanna reflects, "And you will be quite on your own when you do all this. There is no academy where you can learn to be yourself; there is no line manager slowly urging you toward the correct answer. You are a midwife to yourself, and will give birth to yourself, over and over, in dark rooms, alone." What is the significance of Johanna's musings here? Do you agree or disagree with her sentiments?