READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1. Marguerite Harrison went against her mother’s ambitions for her when she married Tom Harrison. Was it a good decision for her?

2. Tom’s illness and death at a young age came as a shock to Marguerite. She felt numb and pushed away her emotions towards anyone else, including her son. How did you feel about that? How do you think it affected her private and professional life?

3. Unlike many Americans, Marguerite was keenly interested in what was happening in Europe when war broke out in 1914. What did you think of her decision to offer her services as a spy?

4. The German people expressed a variety of reactions to the end of the war. What was driving them? Do you think their responses were reasonable?  What did Marguerite fear would happen as a result?

5. After Marguerite was arrested in Moscow, her interrogators offered to release her if she cooperated with them. What did you think of her decision and subsequent actions? What else could she have done?

6. When she was in prison, she worked to keep up her morale. How do you think you would have coped?

7. Did her feelings for the Russian people stir anything similar in you?

8. Was Marguerite a feminist, in your view?

9. What did you think about her relationship with her son over the years?

10. In Marguerite’s view, what were her greatest achievements? Do you agree?

11. What did you learn from the book about the history of the time? What relevance does the book have to today’s world?

12. There is a lot about Marguerite Harrison’s life we still do not know. What are some questions you would like answers to?