The Gilded Years (45 page)

And lastly, I am grateful to the staff of the Georgetown branch of the District of Columbia Public Libraries, where I scribbled much of this book and where I hope to write many more.

THE GILDED YEARS

K
ARIN
T
ANABE

A Readers Club Guide

1. At the end of the novel, Ellen Love remarks of Vassar College that
“part of us will always be here”
. What is the significance of location in the novel? How do Vassar, Manhattan, and Boston shape Anita and Lottie? In your own experience, are there places that you feel have shaped you in similar ways? Do you think you’d be willing to give up part of who you are to keep those places in your life?

2. 
The Gilded Years
depicts a time when the attitude toward women’s education and the prioritization of marriage was shifting in the United States. Did anything surprise you about characters’ opinions on these topics? Were they more or less similar to your own feelings or goals than you expected? If so, how?

3.
 “It is not an escape. . . . When one passes for a higher purpose, it’s worth it. . . .”
. Do you agree with this sentiment? Why or why not?

4. At Bessie’s wedding, Anita considers the paths she and her friend have taken given their similar backgrounds, and wonders what her life would be like if she had made different choices. Do you think she would have been happy living a life more like Bessie’s? Why, or why not? How do the decisions they both make impact their friendship? Do you have friends with whom your paths have diverged, or ones who you feel are on a
“shared path”
with you?

5. In what ways does the revelation that Joseph Southworth is half Japanese differ from or parallel the reaction to the discovery that Anita is not white? Do you think these differences are the result of differing attitudes toward Japanese people and black people? The characters’ class backgrounds? Discuss these and any other factors you think were contributors (e.g., gender, having a white father, etc.).

6. On page 229, Lottie asserts that
“Porter Hamilton was never a goal of mine. . . . I think my ego was crushed and I needed male reassurance. I’m much weaker than you are. No one over voted me the class beauty.”
Do you believe her explanation and apology in this scene? Why or why not?

7. Did you notice any foreshadowing of Lottie’s betrayal? In retrospect, what moments hint at Lottie’s eventual actions? Alternately, what moments led you to believe she wouldn’t turn on Anita?

8. Anita reflects that Lottie has seemed
“the most modern of women”
. What does it mean to be “modern” in 1897? Does the same idea hold true today? In your own experiences, have you come across someone who espouses modern ideas but balks when confronted with situations that veer from tradition? Do you think Lottie was more concerned about Anita’s identity or her own reputation? Why?

9. Why do you think that Anita and her husband, Andrew, ultimately decided to pass as white again in New York and raise their children that way? Do you think it affected their relationships with their families? Should it have?

10. Many characters, such as William and Bessie, suggest to Anita that she has a duty to the black community as an intelligent and educated woman, and that her Vassar education will help her be a figure of progress. Did you agree that she owes something to the community she was raised in? Why or why not?

11. Lottie quips,
“The faces in New York change, but the last names seldom do”
. The notion of legacy figures prominently throughout the novel, from Vassar’s Society of the Granddaughters and wealthy family names, to Lottie’s fear of being forgotten. What does legacy mean to you? What is the significance of legacy in the novel?

12. We see only a brief glimpse of Anita’s daughter Ellen as she also passes for white at Vassar. Do you think this experience was easier for her because her family also passed? What challenges might have been different or similar to her mother’s situation? Were you surprised that Anita allowed her daughter to attend the school?

13. If you haven’t already, read the Afterword from Karin Tanabe about her research on the real Anita Hemmings. Are there any distinctions between the true story and the novel that struck you? Why do you think Tanabe made the changes she made?

1. As a group, look at images of (or consider visiting!) some of the locations in
The Gilded Years
, such as Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York; Oak Bluffs (known as Cottage City before 1907) on Martha’s Vineyard; or the places Anita visits in New York. Do they appear as you imagined them while reading?

2. Consider reading
A Chosen Exile: A History of Racial Passing in American Life
by Allyson Hobbs as a group for more historical background on the issue of passing. Discuss how Anita Hemmings fits into the large picture of passing in America.

3. When did your alma mater, or the colleges closest to your hometown, start admitting black students? What are their racial makeups today? Have there been any recent controversies with regards to racial tension at colleges in your state? How might things be improved for black students attending college today?

4. Try reading
The Price of Inheritance
by Karin Tanabe as a group, and compare the depictions of wealth with those in
The Gilded Years
. Discuss how Tanabe’s writing differs or remains the same in the entirely fictional contemporary novel compared with this historical novel based on a true story.

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