READERS GUIDE

My Person Reading Group Guide (RGG)
 
1.      The title My Person is borrowed from Grey’s Anatomy’s famous duo Meredith and Cristina. The novel explores the ways in which formative friendships can inform our identity. In what ways can such bonds impact our sense of individuality? How do we see this in both Meredith and Cristina, and Margo and Tania?
2.      Margo and Tania’s lives become intertwined from an early age. In what ways do you believe this kind of enmeshing is specific to girlhood?
3.      So much of Margo and Tania’s breakup revolves around their living situation. Discuss how author Téa Mutonji frames their friendship breakup as a divorce, and how this impacts Tania’s livelihood.
4.      As Tania strives to live her life outside of Margo, she finds herself reevaluating their friendship with fresh eyes. To what extent do you believe Tania is finally seeing their friendship for what it really is versus more simply confronting what it looks like to finally outgrow someone?
5.      Margo and Tania’s mothers play a big role—whether it’s direct or not—in influencing the state of Margo and Tania’s friendship. In which of the story’s moments did you observe this sort of maternal impact?
6.      Margo and Tania come from very different backgrounds and yet, for a long time, they choose to bond over their similarities. To what extent do you think this choice is illustrative of true connection versus an ignorance around race politics and socioeconomic realities?
7.      Both Margo and Tania add to the messiness of their breakup. Who did you feel more sympathy for, and why? Who, if either, did you feel was more validated in their feelings about the breakup?
8.      Friendship breakups might just be the most traumatizing of all. Have you ever had to navigate a separation from a friend? What was the hardest part? Why do you think a friendship breakup stings the most?
9.      In honor of the title, who in your life would you call “your person”? How often is “your person” platonic versus romantic? Do you think you can have more than one “person”?
10.   How did you feel about the ending? Where do you see Tania and Margo going from here?