We Share The Same Sky
Book Club & Discussion Questions
The following questions may be used for personal reflection or in book groups and educational settings. These were created by Rachael Cerrotti with consultation from USC Shoah Foundation. Educators can learn more about testimony-based classroom resources available to support the teaching of the memoir and the We Share the Same Sky podcast at www.sharethesamesky.com/educators.
Rachael’s life has been deeply affected by her grandmother’s stories and the journey that she took as a result. How have memories in your own family passed from one generation to the next? In what ways have those stories shaped or influenced how you relate to the world and the choices you make?
Rachael believes that sharing the darkness of her grandmother’s story, as well as her own experiences with loss, makes the light of humanity in these stories shine brighter. What do you think she means by this? In what ways do you agree or disagree?
Rachael and her grandmother, while under very different circumstances, both developed deep and life-altering relationships across cultures, faiths, geography, and other divides. What is the value of such relationships to expanding our sense of self and our understanding of the world?
Hana writes that it is best not to think about our vulnerability and to “pretend we are wearing a soft tailor-made suit of armor” that cannot be pierced. How do you think traits like this, which helped Hana and other victims of trauma survive their experiences, can also pose a challenge when seeking to rebuild one’s life?
Rachael writes about the significance in her life of continuing to speak to those who are no longer here. What do you think she means by this? Have you had this experience in your own life with someone you lost? (Writing prompt: write a letter to someone who has passed away. What do you want to share with them about your life and the world as you perceive it today?)
Rachael shares that Hana was saved by the kindness of strangers. What examples of this kind of altruism and care have you seen in the world today?
In chapter 13, Rachael writes, “Current events felt strange and cyclical, as though a new thread were being spun into the web of family stories I was retelling.” What does she mean by this? How, if at all, do you see threads of the past in your present?
In chapter 16, what does Rabbi Melchior mean when he says, “We can hear—most of us can hear—but only within a certain limit of tones. If they are too high or too deep, the ear doesn’t work. You can see up to a certain distance and then no longer. Our senses are limited, so why should our understanding or our knowledge not be limited?”
The theme of home is present for both Hana and Rachael throughout the book. How is the concept of home experienced as both a physical space and an emotional one?
In her eulogy, Hana writes that “Life is a lottery. I never bought a lottery ticket. As far as I am concerned, I won the biggest and most important ticket: LIFE…” How does Hana’s experience as a Holocaust survivor contribute to her appreciation of life? Do you see this thought as one that conflicts with her survivor’s guilt?