Earlier this week, we shared some ways to use Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen in the classroom. But there are even more excellent resources available from Gruen’s official website and from her publisher, Algonquin Books. Today, we’re featuring some of the extras they offer that can enhance your reading of Water for Elephants, and can help teachers & students incorporate it into the classroom.
The most useful of these tools is the reader’s guide, which offers a variety of thought-provoking questions which can be used both to encourage discussion about the book — either in a classroom or book group setting — or as inspiration for essay and project topics. Here’s just a sample of the questions included in the guide:
To what extent do the chapters concerning the elderly Jacob enhance the chapters recounting the young Jacob’s experiences with the Benzini Brothers circus? In what ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper understanding of the elderly Jacob’s life?
Sara Gruen has said that the “backbone” of her novel “parallels the biblical story of Jacob,” in the book of Genesis. On the first night after his leaving Cornell, for example, Jacob—as did his biblical namesake— lies “back on the bank, resting my head on a flat stone” (page 23). In what other ways does Water for Elephants parallel the story of the biblical Jacob? How do the names of many of the characters reflect names of characters in the biblical account?
In the words of one reviewer, Water for Elephants “explores . . . the pathetic grandeur of the Depression-era circus.” In what ways and to what extent do the words “pathetic grandeur” describe the world that Gruen creates in her novel?
Wondering if Water for Elephants is a book you’d enjoy? Check out the free excerpt online from Algonquin before you buy!
Also be sure to check out Algonquin’s book club, a chance to explore other titles you might enjoy. This month, they are featuring Water for Elephants. Be sure to tune in April 26th for their exclusive webcast with Sara Gruen and Kathryn Stockett!
Novel Novice 