Discussion

The Wondrous Springs of Balmorhea: A Literary Chronicle of New Deal Days

1. What did you learn about how the New Deal helped unemployed men during the Great Depression?
2. What was the role of Eleanor Roosevelt in promoting Roosevelt’s New Deal? Policies?
3. Did the book feel “authentic” to you, historically? Did you learn anything new about the time period?
4. How were historical sources used in the novel? Did they give the novel credibility?
5. What did you learn about the challenges of running these “man-camps”? What challenges did Captain Bell face?
6. Why is the issue of medical quackery still relevant in our contemporary world? Does the medical profession adequately police doctors (in the present?)
7. When does the cure become the poison? Can you give examples in the present?
8. Who was the most sympathetic character in the novel in your view? Most unsympathetic?
9. What type of problems did Darlene face as a woman in her time?
10. How was the use of discrimination against Blacks and Hispanics presented in the novel?
11. How were workers abused at the mercury mine at Terlingua? Why were workers denied justice?
12. How were immigrants treated? Can you make a comparison to the present?
13. What books listed or notes in the back, do you want to investigate further?
14. What were some of the main themes of the novel?