The Panopticon Experiment Discussion Questions

[Tessa, Founder + Curator]

If you've read The Panopticon Experiment, feel free to answer any or all of the following questions, or just share any other thoughts you had on the book!

01. The Panopticon Experiment features a world where some humans can speak with animals - would you like to be able to do that? What would you tell an animal?

02. Was there a certain character you could really connect to? Who was it and why?

03. What was your favorite scene/part of the book?

04. The novel is targeted at a YA audience. If you're not part of this demographic, did that hinder your enjoyment at all?

05. A huge part of the novel centers on a group of people resentful of the present and longing for the past. What do you think the author was trying to say with this?

06. If you read this book prior to going vegan, would if have impacted you any differently?

07. Would you recommend The Panopticon Experiment to a non-vegan?

08. How would you rate this book? Why?

[Tessa, Founder + Curator]

I said this in another thread, but I'm fascinated by communications between humans and animals. I wish I could remember the name of the book, but, when I was a kid, I read a novel that dealt with the relationship between a girl and her animal companion (it was a fantasy novel, so I want to say it was, like, a unicorn lol). And I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So yeah, I'd love to communicate with animals, though honestly I'd probably just want to talk to one of my cats lol.

I really liked Flo and all interactions with her and Lonce. Flo having nightmares about animals' pain...I think a lot of us vegans can relate to that, so I think the inclusion of that aspect was really great.

And the idea of a Human Supremacy League seems wild at first, but, like...that's how I feel about every single self-proclaimed "carnivore." Like, we basically walk amongst these people as is, and if we get to a point where we actually start treating all animals with respect...I don't know, I think a league like that is very possible.

In a perfect world though, I'd love to say that, if I wasn't vegan when I read this, it might have changed my views, but I also feel like I was so drunk on the carnist Kool Aid that I would have been like "well, surely this isn't about me, despite my animal consumption at that time. But I also think kids these days are more conscious and aware, so I can see a book like this really getting them thinking and making some sort of change. Adults, I'm not so sure.

Although I'm not the target audience, I really enjoyed this one! I'd definitely like to read more in the series when available.