Discussion Guide for Sister of Mine

1. Adelaide is brought up to ignore her familial relationship with a slave half-sister. Is blood really thicker than water? Can you think of a circumstance that would lead you to ignore or deny a close family relationship?
   

2. Why is Mordecai so ambivalent about Rachel? How do you feel about his attitude towards her?
   

3. Adelaide takes a provocative stand when she refuses to marry William Pereira. How would you describe her motivation, and how do you feel about her action?
   

4. How does Henry arrive at his attitudes about slavery? What kind of problems does his ambivalence about slavery cause him?
   

5. How do you feel about Henry and Rachel’s love affair? Is it right, wrong, or ambiguous?
   

6. How does Adelaide change after the emancipation of her slaves? How does Rachel change after she is emancipated?
   

7. Both sisters feel wronged. Is their reconciliation believable? Is forgiveness for slavery possible?
   

Note: Some of you are reading this book as Slave and Sister, which is the earlier edition of Sister of Mine. The big changes in the new edition are the title, the cover, and some unobtrusive editing. The story is the same.