Theo of Golden Book Club Questions

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi has taken book clubs by storm. I knew I needed to make a list of Theo of Golden Book Club Questions for your next book club meeting.

When Theo arrives in the city of Golden, Georgia, he decides to buy 92 works of art from a local artist named Asher Glisson. Once he purchases the portraits, he hand-delivers them to each of the subjects of the drawings. This book is filled with deep emotional connections between the characters and themes that make it the perfect pick for book clubs.

I also created this list of Book Club Questions (+PDF). These are universal questions you can use in addition to the specific ones below. I have tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but I knew that any Theo of Golden book club questions would be incomplete without some details.

Theo of Golden Book Club Questions and Discussion Guide

1. What role does kindness play in the book? Did it change your perspective on being kind to strangers?
2. Theo was new to Golden and wanted to learn about it. Why do you think we get to know a new place better than the one we were born in?
3. Did this make you want to get to know your town better?
4. Which portrait reuniting with its inspiration moment did you connect with the most?
5. Why do you think Theo wanted to give each portrait individually, without fanfare?
6. Do you think portraits have the power to let us see people the way that Theo could?
7. What is it about art that allows us to make connections?
8. Think about the different ways beauty is portrayed in this book (art, music, and nature). What were your favorite moments? Did you think these were subtle or overt?
9. Were there any portrait reunion moments that made you sad or uncomfortable?
10. Why do you think the author had almost no mention of technology, other than in a negative context (think about “The Talker”)?
11. Did you have a favorite character in the story?
12. Do you think Theo accomplished what he wanted in Golden?
13. Were there any issues left unresolved?
14. Is there symbolism in choosing the water as a meeting spot?
15. Did you find other symbolism in the book?
16. Did you see any parallels between this book and the stories in the Bible?
17. Are there quotes that resonated with you?
18. When you found out who Theo was, did it make you think differently about the story?
19. This book didn’t have a traditional path to the bestseller list; it got there by word of mouth instead of more mainstream marketing. Consider how you heard about the book. Did you hear about it after it became a best seller, or from a friend or acquaintance? Do you see why it found its footing and does it live up to the hype?

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Epilogue

Will you be using Theo of Golden book club questions for your next book club?