What are good book club discussion questions for They Stole A City?

Spoiler-free questions to get the conversation going: Settle in with your warm drink and tell us: which of the four families did you find yourself worrying about, the way you would a neighbor?; Was there a small, homey detail (a kitchen, a porch, a street corner) that made Wilmington feel like a real place you could walk into?; The book is deeply about home and belonging. When did a scene make you think about what home has meant in your own family's story?; Collins holds hard history with a lot of tenderness. Where did you feel her care for these people most, and how did that gentleness land on you?; So much here is about what gets passed down and what gets hushed. What did the book stir up about the stories your own family keeps or leaves unspoken?.

What food and drinks should I serve at a They Stole A City book club?

Food: Skillet cornbread with honey butter, Low Country shrimp and grits, served family-style, Peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla, and . Drinks: Spiced sweet tea (non-alcoholic), Warm cider with cinnamon, and Bourbon and honey toddy.

How do I host a They Stole A City book club night?

A New Yorker writer traces the 1898 Wilmington massacre and coup through four families, turning a buried chapter of American history into an intimate, human story. It rewards a group that likes to sit close, talk gently, and feel their way through hard history together.

They Stole A City Book Club Questions, Food & Host Guide

Warm-up questions

1 Settle in with your warm drink and tell us: which of the four families did you find yourself worrying about, the way you would a neighbor?
2 Was there a small, homey detail (a kitchen, a porch, a street corner) that made Wilmington feel like a real place you could walk into?

Digging in

1 The book is deeply about home and belonging. When did a scene make you think about what home has meant in your own family's story?
2 Collins holds hard history with a lot of tenderness. Where did you feel her care for these people most, and how did that gentleness land on you?
3 So much here is about what gets passed down and what gets hushed. What did the book stir up about the stories your own family keeps or leaves unspoken?
4 Which moment moved you enough that you had to set the book down for a minute, and what were you feeling when you did?

Going deep

1 Sitting with everything you learned, what will you carry out of tonight's conversation and keep thinking about this week?
2 By the last pages, how did living inside these four families change the way you understand the phrase in the title, that a city could be stolen?

On the table

Skillet cornbread with honey butter

A warm, Southern staple that grounds the group in coastal Carolina and feels like being fed at someone's table

Low Country shrimp and grits, served family-style

Comforting Wilmington-region cooking meant to be shared from one big pot, matching the book's family-centered heart

Peach cobbler with a scoop of vanilla

A homey Carolina dessert, a little indulgent, perfect for a slow, tender evening

To sip

Spiced sweet tea (non-alcoholic) No alcohol

Classic Southern iced (or warmed) tea, gentle and welcoming for the whole table

Warm cider with cinnamon No alcohol

A cozy, nurturing mug for a September night of unhurried talk

Bourbon and honey toddy

A soft, slow-sipping Southern nightcap for a relaxed, indulgent close

Warm, front-porch acoustic and gentle gospel-tinged soul, low and unhurried

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